Between Two Wars
by Cryellow
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? Will Annabeth's secret be too much? (Pregnant Percabeth!)
1. Chapter 1: Sunny Days

Between Two Wars

By Cryellow

 _ **Note to all**_ : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

Chapter One: Sunny Days

The morning Annabeth cried her eyes to oblivion was a normal one. She woke up like any other day. She had glanced beside her to the handsome black haired man beside her. His eyes were shut peacefully as his drool escaped onto his pillow. She sighed contently as she kept her gaze on the son of Poseidon. She knew she should have woke him up, since he had work this morning as well as she did, but she just was happy letting him sleep. He never seemed to get enough of it, she mused to herself. She left the bed and walked into the dining room to go and find breakfast. To her dismay, they forgot to go shopping. Instead of feeling frustrated at the situation however, she put on some proper clothes, ran a hand through her hair, and left their small apartment.  
Annabeth sighed in the warm spring air. She glanced around her surroundings. New Rome was a bustle of people, like usual. There were children running and playing. There was and old couple on their patio, watching the sun rise slowly overhead.  
Annabeth remembered Percy's loud whoop, the day she agreed to go to New Rome for college. Sure, she had totally planned to go to another school, but still she had seen the gleam in Percy's eyes and knew she was a goner. After finishing both of their high school exams, she and her boyfriend had moved to New Rome. She smiled at the dim memory of him knocking his head on a cabinet their first day moving in. She really loved that Seaweed Brain.  
The college at New Rome, though, was pretty cool. She took up their architecture courses while Percy took up swimming. He was total cheat, since every other student was barely decedent's of Poseidon and even a couple of minor sea gods. He was a pure half blood of Poseidon. She had urged him to take a different field of study, maybe one where he could learn something, but his reply had been "I could go to the Olympics this way". Annabeth shook though her haze of memory and walked over to a donut vendor. She got two to bring home, smiling to the man.  
Annabeth was vaguely reminded that her and Percy were finishing their senior year in college in a couple months. She was surprised to find she looked forward to it, since now she could devote most of her time to designing new projects around the city.  
She walked back into their apartment, seeing Percy sitting at the table with a coffee mug in hand, only his boxers on. Annabeth plopped the bag with the two donuts and leaned over, giving the sleepy head a kiss.  
"Morning," she said, opening the bag.  
He grunted, pleased with her offering but not quite awake yet. She handed him a blue donut on a napkin and started eating her own Boston creme with a satisfied expression. She sat across from him on their table in the middle of the apartment. It was a cozy place, but it was relatively small. Annabeth had decorated everything but the bathroom- that was Percy's doing. There was a nice modern feel to the place, yet a nice warm feeling of ancient Greece.  
Percy blinked his eyes looking at his girlfriend, confused. His hair was disheveled and his shoulders were slumped. He wasn't quite awake yet.  
"What?" She said giving him a side smile.  
"Don't you usually get a double chocolate?"  
"Why would I do that?" She laughed. "I always get a Boston creme."  
"Not on your period. You always get a double chocolate. And trust me, I've kept up to date on when your period starts, Annabeth." He remarked.  
She blushed at the innuendo. Why? She didn't know. It's just talking about your period with your boyfriend? Not exactly an easy conversation. Usually ends up with Annabeth blushing or laughing nervously, or Percy completely grossed out. Nevertheless, he was right. They usually kept track of that. Yesterday was supposed to be the day it started but she realized with a jolt that it hadn't occurred to her. She woke up and she was clean.  
"It's just late," she said soothingly. "It'll probably come later today."  
Percy gave her a side eye but decided not to comment further. It's not like they didn't use protection, Annabeth was on the pill after all. It always worried him when she was late though. She decided not to think too hard about that.  
"Don't forget Jason and Piper are coming over for dinner tonight," Annabeth said after swallowing a bite of donut.  
"Ah man," Percy said. "I forgot. I was supposed to train for the backstroke tonight. I guess I'll have to cancel."

"I would hope so, seeing as we haven't seen them in what? 5 months?"

"New Years," Percy replied, finishing his donut.

"Right. It's May,"Annabeth noted. "Can you believe we graduate in like a month?"

Percy shook his head. "I swear it was only a month ago that I arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Time flies so fast."

Annabeth agreed. She still remembered the time she came to camp for the first time, Thalia Grace fighting a wave of monsters, Luke Castellan holding Annabeth in his arms, running up a massive hill approaching the valley below. Now darker memories plague her from time to time. Memories of a swirling face and colorful flowers around a poison goddess. She pushed them down and focused on the conversation.

"Have to talked to the two of them at all?" Annabeth mused, wiping her creme filled hands on her napkin. They really did have good food here at New Rome. Not like New York, but it was a close second. She'd never admit that out loud though.

"Actually yeah..." Percy said a goofy grin spreading on his face. "I talked to Jason about 2 weeks ago. He mentioned something about proposing to Piper."

Annabeth let that sink in for a moment before she gasped in happiness and smiled wide. "That's great! Has he done it yet?"

"Well I don't know. He only mentioned it. I haven't had a chance to talk to him about it since."

"He should. They are absolutely perfect for each other." Annabeth said it with a certainty. All of them had too much misery in their lives. Both of them deserve to be happy. She held onto this truth like a strong rope, holding her above all the things they all had done.

"Well don't say anything. He was still a little nervous about it when I talked to him. Mentioning it might make him back down," Percy laughed.

Annabeth held up her hands in a placating manor. "I won't. Besides, I'll probably be too busy talking to Piper about how counseling is going. She's really good at it."

Percy glanced at his watch and frowned. "We gotta go to class," he sighed. "Don't wanna be late. Oh and I have to run an errand after class, so don't wait up."

"Pick up some stuff for dinner while you're out." She said absently, getting ready for school.

The day passed by in a blur. Sure her classes were pretty long and consisted of most of the day, but Annabeth was mainly thinking about the field plans. She had 3 new temples being built right now. The hill was already full from the beginning, but now Annabeth was thinking about remodeling the whole camp. If they wanted the proper temples, it might take that much.

After class, she headed over to the building site, the plans spread over a long table. She was just about to yell at a couple of fighting sons of Mercury, when Reyna walked over from the bridge crossing the Little Tiber. Her purple cape billowed in the wind as she headed toward the blonde. Reyna smiled at the sight of her and stopped beside her in front of the plans.

"Oh wow," Replied the praetor examining the blue paper. The temples on Annabeth's design went from the farther regions of the mountains all the way to south of the little Tiber. Some were spread on the inside of the "G". Instead of a label, each of the temples and a symbol. On seperate smaller plans, were the designs for each individual temple. Annabeth shrugged.

"Unfortunately,"she said, pointing to the southern temples, "it spread farther than I thought. It isn't quite going to be 'Temple Hill' anymore."

Reyna sighed happily at the plans. "It looks amazing, Annabeth. It truly does."

After that, Annabeth's mood changed considerably. "You think so? Thanks"

By the time she came home, Percy was already cooking dinner. She could smell the strong aroma from the hallway. Annabeth took a huge whiff and sighed with pleasure.

"Your mom's famous lasagna," Annabeth replied. She put her keys on the hanger by the door and slipped her shoes off. Padding across the hall into the kitchen she saw Percy taking the baking glass pan out of the oven. Annabeth stopped in the doorway and examined her man. His lean back muscles showed through his shirt. The shirt itself was the same sea green as his eyes, he also wore tight jeans that hugged his butt in a nice way. His bare feet danced around the floor, dancing in time to "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. His hands were delicate as he placed the pan on the stove and shut the oven off. His black hair flew around his hair in waves as he bobbed his head to the music.

Annabeth quietly padded behind him, about to hug his torso, when she realized he was muttering something. She stopped midway and hid behind the fridge. Apparently he didn't notice her, because he continued to mutter under his breath as he slid the oven mitt off his hand. With a jolt, Annabeth heard her own name in his mutterings and listened intently.

"Annabeth, I can't...no. No. Annabeth, you...no no." He sighed in frustration. Annabeth wondered vaguely if he was trying to prepare a speech. There were only two kinds that started like that: He was cheating on her- Or he was breaking up with her. In Annabeth's haste, she had forgotten there was another type of speech. Unfortunately, she wouldn't realize that until much later. She mustered up the courage and walked back to the door opening it and slamming it for effect.

"I'm home!" She called. She walked back to the kitchen once more. When she walked back in he was facing her with a slight green to his cheeks. He honest to goodness looked like the kind of character in children's movies, portraying a sick person. She didn't take that as a good sign. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

"Y-Yeah," he said, wiping his face with his hand. "Just overworked myself in practice today."

Annabeth wanted to point out that he had went and got groceries and cancelled practice for their dinner, but she decided against it. If he was going to have the balls to tell her the truth, she wasn't going to push him to do so. He had to do it on his own.

"The lasagna smells great," Annabeth said. "When did your mom give you the recipe?"

"Oh it was a while ago, when I went to visit Jane in the hospital." Annabeth remembered when Percy left to go visit his sister after she broke both her left leg and her right arm. The way Sally Jackson had made it sound on the Isris message sounded like she had been attacked- when in fact the only thing that had attacked the 4 year old was her bike as she ran head first into a giant tree. Annabeth almost grinned at the memory, but one look at Percy and the grin died. He still looked very green.

"They'll be here in a few. Is there anything else to do?" She asked looking at the preset table. It was set for four around the tiny kitchen table.

"Nah," He said. "All set. Even made some cookies." Percy gestured to the tray of blue chocolate-chip cookies set on the counter.

"And don't worry," Percy cut in."Didn't use eggs or milk in the cookies, and a veggie lasagna. It's all vegan stuff. Don't wanna be insensitive."

Annabeth felt her cheeks expand into a smile despite herself. Percy walked up to her and put his arms around her waist. Her hands moved to place firmly on his chest. She looked up into his eyes and couldn't imagine a world without him. Then the memory of his mutterings came back to her and she lowered her eyes. Just ignore it, she chastised herself, it probably meant nothing.

Percy grasped her chin in his left hand.

"Hey," He said getting her attention again. "I love you."

Annabeth swallowed some witty retort. She sensed he had something else to tell her. She held onto his every word urging him not to say what she thought he was saying. But she was confused. His arm was around her waist. His eyes shone with love. Then why did he look like he wanted to throw up so bad? Why did he seem so nervous? If he was going to break up with her, why would he get so intimate? To tear her heart out?

"Annabeth I love you and I-"Percy began closing his eyes. Annabeth only had time to think _this is it_ before they both heard the doorbell ring sharply.

Percy sighed, let go of Annabeth, muttered "I got it", and walked to the door.

Annabeth stood in the kitchen feeling like a knife was stabbed through her chest.


	2. Chapter 2: Old Friends

**Between Two Wars**

 _ **Note to all**_ : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _Warnings_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

 _Pairings_ : Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

Chapter 2: Old Friends

Annabeth took in a sharp breath, preparing herself for guests. _I love you,_ he had said. Then why did it feel like her heart was shattering to pieces? She still felt the ghost of his arm around her waist as she stood up straight and tried to smile. He hadn't broken up with her yet. She just had to face the reality that she had to. She had to break up with him- or hearing it from him would break her completely. She couldn't hear him utter those words. He meant too much to her. She just had to be strong enough to do it herself. That idea filled her with more dread than when she grasped at his hand, plunging into Tartarus. She wondered dimly what happened for him to suddenly decide this. Had she done something? Was she not enough? Was all those battles and fights and times they were back to back, where they not enough for him? Or was it too much? Did she end up being the ghost of those wounds? The ghost of those battles and the loses? There were so many reasons Annabeth could come up with that she was surprised he hadn't done it sooner. The thought filled her with sorrow. If she was honest with herself (which she wasn't) she almost wished he had done it before they went to college together. Before she built her life around him. Before she got so used to the idea of him being there that the times he wasn't felt like holes. Her skin stung with the realization that her life would feel like a hole, after tonight. She would _have_ to do it tonight. She couldn't bear the waiting. He would be too much of a coward. Especially when it came to her.

The door opened as Percy greeted Piper and Jason with a cheery greeting. Annabeth put her hair behind her ear with nervous fingers, calming her thoughts before they saw her. She knew Piper. She would read her and know immediately. Annabeth couldn't let that happen. It was too personal, and frankly too painful to talk about out loud.

When they came into the kitchen/dining room, Annabeth greeted them with open arms. She smiled and hugged them and acted like everything was okay. She willed herself to believe it- hoping it would show on her face.

"Look at you!" Annabeth said animatedly holding Piper at arms length. Piper's entire being just radiated happiness. Her brown hair was nice and combed with braids. She had on a cute top with bleached jeans and black flats. She had minimal makeup- as custom to the native american girl. On her left hand glittered a diamond ring, shaped like a heart. Piper held it up with fevered joy. Annabeth, in turn, screamed with glee. She was so happy for the two of them she couldn't help the real smile that escaped her lips. "That's wonderful!"

"He did it on a roof while we were watching the stars," Piper said conspiratorially. "It was soooo romantic!"

Jason grinned behind her, putting his hands in his pants pockets. He wore a simple t-shirt (Pontiac maximum!) and a pair of nice jeans. He looked so at ease and happy it almost made Annabeth relax. Almost.

They sat at the table and ate lasagna with vigor. "This is fantastic!" Piper mused, halfway through her plate. Jason grunted with approval around his second helping.

"So what's been going on at Camp Half-Blood?" Percy asked, having finished his plate.

"Oh, Grover didn't tell you?" Piper said with a grin.

"What? What didn't Grover tell me? He's all the way over there most of the time. It's hard enough to see the guy when we visit." Percy replied. He said we with such ease, almost like he didn't think about it. It tore at Annabeth's heart that he didn't try to make the change now. _You know the Seaweed Brain. He'd wait for a good time alone, which might not happen. He'll wait and then he won't do it,_ she said to herself.

"Juniper is pregnant!" Piper said with glee. "They think it might be twins, she's getting so big!"

"I'm going to kick him in his furry butt. He can't even drop an Iris-message? I have to hear it from you guys? No offense."

"None taken," Jason said. "He's just frantic taking care of her. He does everything for her. Barely even leaves camp to go do Council meetings. Most of the time he begs her to come with him, but she resolutely stays in the forest. She says being near too many grumpy satyrs will affect the babies," He laughed. Soon the other three joined him, Percy making satyr faces all the while.

As the night went on, Annabeth felt the dread seep through her bones. She knew what she had to do when they left and she was not prepared for it. She tried her best to talk to Piper like she intended, asking about counseling and about how she could possibly deal with all that pressure of listening to adolescent demigods. Throughout their conversation, Piper grew worrisome. She looked like she could feel Annabeth's dread. Her mouth was about to open, her eyebrows upturned for a question, when Jason interceded, taking Piper's hand.

"It's almost 11, babe," the son of Jupiter interrupted. "We should probably get back to your dad's place. You don't want his bodyguard to attack us again, do you?"

"He _almost_ attacked us," Piper supplied. She looked back at Annabeth as if wanting to say something more, but instead she closed her mouth. She sighed and stood up.

"See you at the Fourth of July at Camp?" Jason asked, looking at Percy. He nodded, smiling.

All four of them exchanged meaningful hugs as the couple departed. With one last glance backward, Piper stared intently at Annabeth. _Use your brain_ she seemed to say. _Do what you think is best._ Annabeth reluctantly nodded, despite herself and smiled one last time as the door shut behind the brunette.

Do what she thought was best? Best for whom? No situation was a good one for her. No matter what she did, she was left a broken mess.

Percy sighed, looking pretty exhausted from the long day. He rubbed his neck and looked sideways at Annabeth. Her hands started shaking slightly under his gaze and she defiantly found something to occupy them with. Even if that was the dishes, it was better than the wave of nausea the son of the sea god was giving her. He took that as an invitation and dried off the dishes she washed. She was just about to hand him one of the last dishes- a stray plate- when her hand betrayed her and shook, dropping and consequently breaking the plate on the floor. Percy jumped back in surprise with a "Woah".

"Di immortales," Annabeth said putting her hand to her head. Unfortunately, the hand shook on her forehead, giving away her nervous energy. She bent to pick up a large chunk and accidentally held onto it too hard. It cut her hand with a large gash and she cried out. Her blood spread on the tile in the kitchen as she dropped the chunk in surprise. "Ouch!"

"Annabeth," Percy said falling to his knees in front of both her and the shattered remains of one of their favorite blue plates. "Baby what's wrong?"

"Just tired is all," Annabeth said. She couldn't bring herself to do it. The way he called her _baby_ , full of concern. Percy took a clean dishtowel that was hanging from the oven and wrapped it around her hand.

"I'll get the ambrosia," He said, getting up to go to the bathroom where they held their emergency supplies.

"Percy, don't." She said, holding her hand to her chest. The pain in her hand reminded her of the pain of her heart. It stung- but maybe it would go away with time. "I'll be fine. Really. Let's just finish, okay? It'll be b-better tomorrow." She winced, hearing her own stutter. Why was she being so weak? Annabeth Chase doesn't get scared from monsters. She doesn't back away from a fight. Why was this so hard for her? She realized with a jolt that she _was_ afraid. Afraid of losing the boy with the sea-green eyes and messy black hair. The same eyes that looked at her with concern now. His concern was the thing that helped her- she got angry from it. He was the one who was going to break up with her, after all. Why should he have concern for her bleeding hand? He was only going to leave giving her a bleeding heart too.

She was only dimly aware that a few more drops of her blood fell from the cloth to the floor. Percy's eyes hardened and he left for the bathroom anyway. This only fueled her fire. Anger coursed through her now- lending her the strength she wouldn't have had. This had to happen sooner, not later. Percy walked back in the room with a square of ambrosia and a spare canteen of nectar.

"Here," He said softly, taking her hand and unwrapping it. He led her over to the table, sitting to the side to tend to her wound. Annabeth winced as she looked at the angry red gash running across her palm.

"Why?" Percy asked. "Why did you do this? What's wrong, for real?"He looked into her eyes and she started before she could stop herself.

"What's wrong? Are you for real? I can't do this anymore, Percy. I'm done." She said it like a robot- like she was reading off lines from a script. They weren't what she felt but she couldn't make him hurt himself by breaking up with her. She understood she had to shoulder the burden of breaking them up like she once shouldered the sky. She did it- did it for someone she loved.

"Done? Done with wha-" He stopped himself as he looked her in the eyes. She held her ground, determined not to break. Not to reveal herself. He'd fake hurt, maybe. He'd try to pretend he wasn't relieved. Maybe he'd relax himself away from her out of sheer decency. Percy was nothing if not polite. "No." He said, his voice cracking. "You can't mean that."

She almost broke her facade then. She almost broke, but sadly she didn't. She put on the same stature she would if she was fighting a monster- and she was. She was fighting her own emotions, trying to put them in neat little rows. It killed her to see him this way. If there were any real weapons in New Rome, she probably would have taken the safer option and resorted to suicide. But no, here she was and here she had to stay. Why continue when you're unhappy? Why try when only one side wants too? She couldn't put him through that. She didn't want him too. Especially if that meant he was in a relationship he was unhappy about.

"I do." She said deadpanned. "I think it's better this way."

Inside her head she was screaming. Shouting that she wanted him to see the truth. But maybe it _was_ better this way. Better if it meant he was happier. Better even if he was with someone else. That thought alone made her dream for Tartarus.

What she hadn't expected was for him to drop to his knees in front of her. She looked into his eyes and saw a broken man. "No. _No_." He pleaded at her. She dimly wondered how bad he really wanted to hurt her. He must actually hate her by putting her through this. She clenched her bleeding hand in an effort to take some control over her emotions. She couldn't show weakness. She couldn't back down. This was for the best.

She stole herself and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure they'll let me get a separate apartment. I can move my things out in less than a week." She opened her eyes and saw he was looking deep into her's once more.

"You can't do this. You can't be serious," Percy said disbelieving. "Does Tartarus mean nothing to you? Do I...do I mean nothing to you?!" Tears flowed freely from his face. His face was a mask of pain. But that was it, Annabeth guessed. Only a mask. "What about never again? I promised you. I promised you I'd never leave you again. How are you going to make me break that promise?"

Annabeth moved her head to the side, no longer able to look at his broken features. He must truly hate her to put her through this. "Look at me! I love you Annabeth! I do! Y-You can't do this, please you can't mean it!" He was babbling now, in a desperate attempt to do-what? To make her feel worse? To make sure he couldn't feel bad about it? If he had truly loved her, he would have let it go. He wouldn't put her through so much. But he was, and that only hardened Annabeth's resolve more. That sadness had to come from somewhere- acting is only truly good if you felt it. She made him sad, and that was something she never wanted.

She hid away her real feelings and made fake ones- bravery, and indifference. She looked him in the eyes. "I mean it. I'm breaking up with you Percy."

A sob escaped him. And then another. Before the third one fully hit, he had run out of the house. Annabeth sat there in the chair in the kitchen. The table around her hand made a puddle of blood as she had it clenched.

The minute she heard the door close behind him, she let out all of her grief. She shattered into held in sobs. Her body was racked with pain- more than the knife wound during the Titan war. More than her injuries from Tartarus. More than any battle scar she had ever gotten. The entire time she longed to say "Hah! Sike! April Fools!". Instead she felt her very soul crack. She passed out from a mixture of grief, pain, and blood loss.

Author's note: Hey so yeah. The first two chapters I felt like it should really be from Annabeth's point of view. I always really loved her characterization. Next chapter is going to be from Percy's. If you kinda guessed, Percy didn't want to break up with her. He did, however want to do something else, which I conveniently put in there 2 times. It's really obvious. Please feel free to leave a comment and a fav or whatever else you wanna do. I'm pretty frequent with updates so you don't have to worry. Tell your friends! Talk to me, I love feedback! Thanks!~Cryellow


	3. Chapter 3: Waves of Emotion

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

Chapter 3: Waves of Emotion

Annabeth was right. He was always running away from things he was scared about. He's never been afraid of monsters, badies, or friends in need, but he was afraid of what just happened. He was afraid of Annabeth breaking up with him. In reality it was pretty obvious. Annabeth saw Piper's ring and was probably really jealous (even if she'd never admit it). She probably realized Percy would wait too long for things like that. She probably decided he wasn't worth her time. Her cold indifference as she told him _I'm breaking up with you Percy_ still rang through his head.

He couldn't blame her. He was probably the worst person he knew. You have to be pretty bad to keep begging with that look on her face, he said to himself. He had hurt her, and instead of accepting what she said, he had begged. He had pleaded and sobbed. Annabeth didn't want someone as weak as him. No wonder she broke up with him.

He blinked around, examining his surroundings. He hadn't really had a destination but somehow he ended on one of the bridges arching over the Little Tiber. _Water,_ he mused to himself. He always ended up near water when he was upset. Like the day he had walked to the beach of Long Island Sound, the day he left on a quest to the sea of monsters. Or the day he plunged Nancy Bobofit into the museum fountain. Today it was the Little Tiber. He stood on the bridge looking toward Temple Hill. It was fairly chilly out, but he decided not to take notice. He couldn't go back there tonight. He couldn't face her.

 _Annabeth_. Her name was like some enchanted word. Names hold power, Mr. D once told him. Percy shook his head at how true it was. Her name was one of the most powerful things he would ever utter. Now the wielder of that name had broke him into a million pieces. Percy guessed that Ouranos must have felt this bad when he was chopped up by his wife and sons. Scattered, alone, useless, scared. He was. Percy was every one of those things. He was because he loved her. He loved her with every single fiber of his being. He was determined that Annabeth was the half of a person Zeus had chopped. He had found his soulmate, only for her to break his heart.

Oddly enough, he didn't blame her. She had said it with no conviction, almost like the thought of being with or without him didn't matter, just that this time she thought it might be easier to be without. He shuddered to himself. She almost had sounded like a monster. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. Maybe he couldn't possibly believe she'd do this, so he started to give her a monster persona.

Stop it, he chastised himself. She isn't a monster for feeling different. She isn't any less.

That was especially true, because no matter what she said, he would still love her. He promised her, and he was nothing if not fiercely loyal. He was determined not to break that promise.

Absentmindedly, he grabbed something large out of his back pocket. He frowned at it for the 5th time today.

About a week ago Percy was determined to propose to Annabeth. He tried to get some fancy ring but instead he decided against it. She was Annabeth. She wasn't too flashy. She was practical. So that's the kind of ring he got her. It had a wide clamshell for the top, the mouth open wide to a giant pearl in the middle. On the inside of the ring said _I believe in us_. When he bought the ring he did his greatest to make sure that she didn't find out. He wanted to surprise her- really surprise her. So he did the smart thing and hid it in a fountain near their apartment. No one went in there, or cleaned it very well for that matter, which meant Annabeth wouldn't go looking for it there.

The next day he searched the library for ancient Greek engagement rituals. He guessed he could have asked Chiron, or maybe some one else, but he wanted to put the effort in. She was worth it. So with no luck, seeing as it was a Roman library after all, he headed home. He passed by the local vendors with no real interest, but at one he stopped suddenly. There behind a fruit stand was a woman in black clothing. Her features were very regal and haughty. Her face almost looked like porcelain. A memory tickled at the back of his mind, but he was unsure why.

"Apple, sir?" the woman asked. When she raised her eyebrow a wave of self doubt almost crushed him. He fought against it with everything he had.

"I'm n-not good enough for one," He said against his will.

"No, you're not." She agreed. "But have one regardless." She waved her hand in front of the apples. There were bright red ones, shiny green ones, and golden yellow ones. Without thinking, he picked a golden one and his legs carried him away.

By the time Percy had realized, hey, that was a little strange, he turned around and saw the stand and the woman had disappeared. He had sighed, knowing that the woman had probably been a goddess, and not necessarily a nice one. After that, Percy looked all over the library for anything about apples. He got no luck. So he decided to use the internet. Okay, yes he had -maybe- bribed a son of Vulcan into figuring out some way to get wifi but it was all in the search of knowledge. He found a Wikipedia page about ancient Greek engagement.

"No way," he had muttered to himself. There on the page told the story of Eris, the golden apple, and the start of the Trojan War. "Dear gods, no."

He went outside and looked up to the sky. "Why?! Why can't we have one MINUTE of peace?! Just leave us alone!" He shouted to the heavens. 2 children ran passed him, scared for his safety, obviously thinking he'd get struck by lighting on the spot.

That night he tried to get rid of it. It didn't go away. No trash can held it. It reappeared in his pocket like Riptide used to. He wished Terminus let weapons into New Rome, but sadly the son of the sea god left his magical pen with the talking bust year round.

Resolute, even if the thing poisoned him, Percy went home, sat on the kitchen table, and bit the apple. He was prepared to die a painful death by gorgon blood. Instead, however, he got a nice juicy bite of golden delicious. He shrugged and kept eating. At least he would have, had he not bit into part of the core and almost broke a tooth. He looked into the apple and found the ring for Annabeth. Shocked, he tried to pull it out. It didn't budge.

With a jolt Percy guessed that maybe only Annabeth could take it out, if she accepted his apple. Percy felt the knaw at his bones with the feeling this apple meant only trouble.

Now he was here, leaning on the bridge, the apple in his hand, no teeth marks or chunks out of the apple. He was here, and Annabeth had broken up with him. Percy, of course, blamed himself. He should have talked to someone about it, maybe got some explanation. He shouldn't have kept it in the hopes to give it to Annabeth. He had got it from Eris after all. She probably still had a grudge after the whole Nyx thing in Tartarus. Not to mention she was the goddess of strife. The goddess of making trouble and that's what she did and now Annabeth had broken up with Percy.

Percy got really angry. He wanted to give Strife some trouble of her own. Like a very powerful demigod that she just got on her bad side.

Percy was dimly aware that the sun had risen up. It was morning and people would be going about their days. Percy didn't want to talk about what happened. He didn't want to feel worse about himself. He hurried his way back to the apartment, assuming maybe Annabeth was out early or possibly still asleep.

He was right. She was asleep on the table, like she hadn't moved all night. Her hand lay in a sticky mess of her own blood. Her hair was disheveled and her face was tear stained. Percy knew he should have been mad. She broke up with him, why should she be crying? But Percy understood. Like he had felt at the apple stand, Annabeth must have been motivated by emotions she couldn't control. By the time they let go of their hold on her, she was a sobbing mess.

His heart sighed a little looking at her calm resting face. He couldn't just leave her. Not like this- and surely not in a pool of her own blood. He picked her up gently, trying not to wake her. He brought her to their bed and laid her down on her side. He pulled up her blanket but extracted her cut hand. He examined it thoroughly. Her demigod blood had healed her somewhat, but Percy could see signs saying she might get an infection. He hated the possibility of her waking up, but he didn't want her hurt. Not anymore than she already was. He lightly poured nectar over her wound. She winced in her sleep, shifted slightly, but didn't wake. Percy breathed a sigh of relief. Her wound closed itself and he went to clean up the remains from the kitchen.

He wiped the blood off the table first. That was the easiest part. He swept the glass from the plate off the floor and threw it into the trash. When he went to go push in their chairs he noticed a brown blotch on the one she had been sitting on. Annabeth's period, Percy would have guessed, only usually it wasn't as brown. He decided that he didn't have medical training and wiped it off the seat. After he was done cleaning, he contemplated what he wanted to do next. Did he wait and explain to her what happened? Should he pack his things and leave? Percy felt a bitter taste in his mouth grow at the thought of leaving her forever. He would never forgive himself.

But what if she really did feel like they should break up? What if she had spoken the truth? Surely Percy should be able to live with that. He should be able to cope with it. He found it was harder to think that way. Finding someone to blame was easy. The gods did it themselves. They blamed someone else for the mess. But accepting that Annabeth might have been actually doing what she felt was best- that tore at Percy's heart like a new wound.

He felt new tears sting his eyes, begging to come out. He couldn't accept that. He couldn't believe she might think that way. She had to have been under some spell, or influenced by some nasty god or goddess. It wouldn't be the first time they had been made pawns.

 _This is what I get for trying to be happy?_ Percy asked himself. _The gods toy with us again? After all the battles I've fought and wars I've won, now this?_

He decided that even if he did stay until she woke up, or maybe even until she found some new place, Percy wouldn't be able to contain himself. He'd resort to begging again. He'd plead for her to stay with him after all they'd been through and inevitably make it harder for the both of them. He couldn't quite grasp the fact that she might actually want this. He remembered what he asked her. _Does Tartarus mean anything? Do I...do I mean anything to you?_ His throat clenched at the memory and against his will he felt his cheeks wet with fresh tears. She had looked away from him. She had made no comment. She had taken it, like some kind of beating.

 _She can't feel that way. As long as I have breath in my body, I have to believe she doesn't feel that way._ He said it like a mantra, like some silent prayer.

"You listen to me," Percy said to the heavens. "I will never leave Annabeth. I swear it on the River Styx."

He shuddered as a chill ran through him. _It is done. Oh what we will do for the ones we love_ said a faint voice. It was beautiful and faintly familiar. He felt the resurface of a memory, of a dark dry plain and a dead taco stand.

His shoulders grew taught as he remembered who it is. "Let us be," Percy said defiantly. "We've played your game before. Did everyone else just get too boring?"

 _No,_ the voice supplied. _I am simply dusting off an old book just to read it again._

"We fell into Tartarus. Not exactly a romance novel," Percy muttered angrily. The voice remained silent. He guessed the love goddess didn't feel like arguing, even if she had the better point.

Heaving a sigh, he decided to clear out for now. It wasn't leaving Annabeth, he said to himself. Just giving her some space and time to think. He grabbed some odds and ends- basic stuff for a day or two- and went in search of a friend.

 _ **Author's note:**_ I always really loved the story of Eris and the apple. I always thought it was wrong, though. The apple was for the 'fairest' originally, but in my opinion that is _not_ love. Aphrodite getting that apple is BS. Love can be really unfair sometimes. Sorry if the period talk is a little gross, it's important to the story. Feel free to fav, comment, etc. Next chapter's going to be through Annabeth again. Thanks! ~Cryellow


	4. Chapter 4: No One Else Can Feel It

Between Two Wars

Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica

Chapter 4: No One Else Can Feel It For You

Annabeth woke up to the sound of birds. She blinked her eyes blearily looking around. The first thing she noticed was the empty bed beside her. Maybe he went out for breakfast, she told herself. Maybe it was all in my head.

The sunlight streamed through their window, leaving a warm patch right on Annabeth's legs. She pulled off the blanket and noticed she was still in her pants and shirt from yesterday. She wiped her eyes with her hands, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. She felt the crusted tear stains on her cheeks and felt her heart plummet. So it hadn't been a dream. She examined her hand, looking for the angry gash that should still be there. Instead, she found a faint scar on the inside of her palm. It was then that Annabeth realized Percy had come home some time. He had tucked her into bed, and cleaned her wound. That thought left her with a deep sadness. After all she had told him last night- and there he was, taking care of her anyway. She got out of bed and felt a wave of nausea hit her. She ran her way to the bathroom, praying to get there in time.

She leaned over the toilet and threw up last night's lasagna straight into the porcelain. When she was done, she sat down by the bowl exhausted. She wiped her mouth hesitantly with her hand. All this drama is making me sick, she told herself. More like all the heart break. She stayed in the bathroom for a whole 30 minutes, waves of nausea coming down on her. She felt her eyes water and her throat burn.

After the ordeal, she miserably went to change out of yesterday's clothes. She noticed the brown stains on her underwear and the sheets and proceeded to say this was one of the worst days she'd ever had. Almost worse than meeting the spider queen Arachne, or meeting Titans in the eternal pit of darkness. But for those times she had Percy. He had been there to listen to her story and comfort her. Today she had no one.

She wished with all her might that she could talk to him, to possibly explain herself. Maybe that might ease his pain somewhat. She decided that was just wishful thinking. She remembered the raw pain in his eyes and wondered if she had made a mistake. Maybe he didn't want to break up with her at all? Maybe she made assumptions and...and what? Even if she took it all back, it didn't matter now. It was already done. She had already burned that bridge.

Yet a thought tugged at her. He came back to take care of her. Surely he wouldn't come back if he didn't feel something.

She sighed, her mind a haze of thoughts. Without thinking, she had got dressed for class. She shrugged and decided it was probably for the best. Sitting around wrapped in her own mind was a terrible situation to be in. Resolutely, she got her stuff, wiped away a stray tear, and left for college.

Without thinking, Annabeth sat on the bench after school, expecting her Seaweed Brain to come get her and walk her to work. She got a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn't do this to him in public. She didn't want to hear what he said in the open, for everyone to hear. She left the bench and walked herself to work, feeling like her usual textbooks were 50 pounds heavier. By the time she reached the work site she had tried to clear her mind completely. She didn't want the temples of Pompona and Vertumnus to be weak- or worse, ugly. Having the spring gods against you during springtime was not a smart move.

It was almost the end of her shift before she realized she was barely paying attention to anything. Her eyes looked over the temples with pride. She smiled at the shapes and the easy colors. She skimmed over the easy mountain side across from the Little Tiber. The sun gleamed over the water, making it shine like thousands of diamonds. The water reminded her of the deep flow of pain straight from her heart. She did not, however, keep her eyes on the worker in front of her, which led to his frown and his subsequent snapping in her face.

"Ms. Chase? Annabeth!" the worker said. She finally shook out of her daze and looked him in his brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Maybe you should lie down, miss. You've been out of it all day. Joshua can help us keep building. Maybe you should go home." It was Nick standing in front of her. He was a couple years older than Annabeth herself and head of the worker crew building the temples. While she did most of the planning and framework, he was the one who made it happen. Joshua was a descendant of Vulcan who loved architecture only a little less than Annabeth herself.

"No it's fine, Nick. What is it you were asking me?" Annabeth replied, trying to focus with all her might.

"I was wondering if after putting the roof on Lady Pompona's temple, you'd like to remodel Lord Neptune's shrine?" She looked over at the tool-shed like building next an impressive temple of Kymopoleia. The prospect of working on Percy's dad's shrine put Annabeth's heart right in her throat. She almost choked on her own spit. She feigned a smile.

"I think after Pompona's, we can stop for the day. Everyone's been working really hard and it's getting hotter out." She couldn't do it. Not today. Maybe some other time- maybe as a way of showing Percy what he meant to her. Maybe as an apology, but not today. Nick looked at her a while, seeing as she never usually lets them leave from work early but decided not to comment.

"Yes Ma'am," He said, finally nodding and heading over to his team. Annabeth breathed a short sigh of relief. She started gathering her papers in an effort to start going home.

Annabeth should have known it was bad when she saw Percy's favorite sweatshirt gone from it's hook. Whenever it was gone- he was wearing it, and also beating something up. Most of the time his own two hands, sometimes it was a practice dummy he had found near the Fields of Mars, sometimes it was a span of grassy area, coated with a fine layer of water Percy had made appear from no where. As he got older Annabeth always noticed his powers were directly related to his emotions. It had been like that when he was in middle school, only now he had other discovered powers. Like when he erupted Mount Helens, and Annabeth gave him their first kiss. Or the time he made a hurricane out of thin air to try and kill a Titan. Nowadays, if he heard about a demigod dying on a quest, or the murmurs of another ancient zealot, he'd usually disappear with his sweatshirt in hand. When she walked through the door and saw he wasn't there she wasn't surprised. Another confrontation would ultimately lead to someone hurt. Neither of them wanted that. Well, at least Annabeth didn't want that. She certainty didn't want him to come home completely fine and say she was right. Yet, she didn't want to see the raw pain in his eyes, or the sorrow in his voice. She wanted to make him feel better, but lately she wasn't sure if she even made him smile.

Annabeth really knew it was bad when he came home. She had sat down on the couch, trying to wash her mind out with some fantasy book (something about a dystopian universe after America. It was really riveting but it was really gory with the death of children and all). She wasn't hungry because the only real thing they had in the fridge was lasagna and she threw that up this morning. She was about to go to a whole new section of her book when the front door slammed open.

Annabeth felt her eyes go wide as she saw the son of Poseidon walk in, his sweatshirt on his back, and the smell of liquor carrying from a mile away.

Now, okay, Annabeth would be the first to admit, she felt like getting completely wasted herself. She had been dreading coming home all day, and the prospect of mind wiping alcohol had been one she was contemplating since she woke up. She had resisted, mainly on the fact she wanted to be in a right state when she saw Percy later that day, and partly on the fact liquor wasn't really her style.

She didn't believe it was Percy's either. He had, after all, been living with an abusive alcoholic for years. The both of them rarely had wine, let alone anything harsh like Bourbon. Yet in came the black haired beauty, stumbling and babbling his way over to her, the obvious smell of Tequila on his breathe. Only Annabeth could smell the faint hint of Whiskey under that. He was not only was plastered, he had also been mixing liquor.

"What in the gods names-" Annabeth started, shocked. She stood up, ready to fight or hold him up, she wasn't sure. She gave him a once over. His hair was sweaty all over his forehead in a mess, his eyes tinged red with all the alcohol. His lips were slightly parted as his breathing was erratic. His sweatshirt was covered in sweat- meaning he probably had been training in it for quite some time. His knuckles were bloody on both hands. The only thing on him that seemed okay were his jeans, but even those, Annabeth remarked, were covered in new holes where he seemed to have been hitting his knees on the ground. He looked an utter mess and when he looked at Annabeth in the eyes she really saw how horrible he felt. Yesterday he had hid behind disbelief, today he showed every inch of his sorrow. Annabeth was not only surprised by this- she could relate. She saw her own sadness in his eyes. She realized she had made a horrible mistake, one she might never get back.

"Annabeth y-you gotta listen to me, okay?" His voice was slurred alarmingly and he swayed as he came to a stop a few feet away from her. "I understand if I'm not- if I'm not what you want anymore."

He took a deep breath and continued, taking her shocked silence as an invitation.

"B-But you were-" He caught himself, screwing his eyes up. "You _are_ the best thing thats ever happened to me. I know that I'm not smart like you or fast or- or- or anything better than you. But you gotta believe me- it's all Eris' fault. She-she did something to you, maybe, I don't know. But she-"

"Eris? The goddess of strife?" Annabeth said looking at him, her eyebrows tightly together.

"Yes. She did something to you or maybe she did it to the apple, I'm not sure-"

"What apple? Percy what are you talking about?" She was concerned for him. He was talking utter nonsense. At least that's what she thought until he pulled out a golden yellow apple the size of his palm, straight out of his back pocket.

"I was going to p-p-propose," He finally said through the haze of his alcohol. "I didn't know that _she_ gave it to me but I knew that's what they did in Greece and I wanted to impress you and-" Annabeth stared wide mouthed at the apple in his hand. _Propose?!_ She covered her mouth with her hand, the pieces clicking into place in her head. She felt a sob escape her as tears started flowing down her face like waterfalls.

"No, no, no!" Percy said out loud. He dropped the apple and stumbled over to her, taking her hands. She could smell the alcohol stronger as his face was close to her's. "It's all Eris' fault. I didn't want to- to tell you like this. I'm a mess and please don't cry Annabeth, no."

He closed his eyes swallowing hard. "I-I know you wanted to b-break up and I'm sorry I'm putting this on you but I had to get it out b-before you slipped away from me." He looked into her eyes and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "I see that I'm m-making you sad and I'll go but I wanted- I wanted you to know that I never wanted to hurt you and-" He was stopped as she kissed him. It was sloppy- he was a mess and she was crying but it was passionate. She tasted the Tequila straight from his mouth. They both came for air, gasping.

"Gods I love you," She said, laughing. " I love you and I am so sorry. I'm so sorry I hurt you Seaweed Brain." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him to her. She felt his arms encase her as he hugged her back.

For a while they sat like that, feeling the movement of their breathing like one. Calm and soothing and warm. Then Annabeth realized two things. One, he had thrown up on the carpet behind her, and two, that he had fell asleep holding her. She sighed, moved his hands from her waist, and laid him down on the floor. She stood up, retrieving the apple, and placed it on the kitchen counter.

She would have bit a huge hole in it right then and there but a few things stopped her. While Percy had been worried about Eris handing it to him, Annabeth was not. Eris had done that over the centuries- passed by bachelors or boyfriends and gave them that extra push. Some authors had described it as the flexing of the relationship so you can see it's true form. Like the storm before the rainbow. The authors had said that if the relationship can suffer such stress and succeed, that it was true. This was a good omen, even if it came with an ugly face.

No, Annabeth's main reasoning for not biting into it had to be Percy. For one, he was completely drunk. Would he stand by the things he told her? Or would he blame it on the alcohol? For two, if he really did feel that way, then she wanted him to be _awake_ when she accepted it. She was vaguely reminded of Percy's last birthday party where Annabeth went out of her way to make most of his cake just to see his face. She guessed if he was honest about his sayings, then he'd want to see her face too.

She bent over and cleaned up the sick he had left on the floor. She knew she couldn't lift him and would hurt herself trying, so instead of moving him, she got both their pillows and a blanket and slept on the floor next to him. She shimmied him out of his sweatshirt, tossed it to the side, and curled against his shoulder, a trickle of drool slowly making it down his lips all the while.

 ** _Author's note:_** :) Drunk Percy is one of my favs. This one seemed kinda short, but in my opinion it was heavy in content. Hope you liked! Next chapter we get to actually see a proposal. If you have been following on anything, you'll see faint signs of an underlying problem. Or is it? :D Anyway, feel free to fav or like or comment or whatever. This has to be one of my favorite chapters of the story so far. It was fun to write. Ciao! ~Cryellow


	5. Chapter 5: Back to Normal (Explicit)

_**Between Two Wars-** **There is explicit content in this chapter**_

 _ **Note to all**_ : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse, oral, hetero, fingering, kissing, cuddling, groping,etc (If I missed something, sorry!)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

 ** _Pairings_ :** Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica

~~~!~~~

 ** _Author's Note!:_** Hey guys! It's really getting fun to write on here. I would love it if you gave me some suggestions for stories you'd be interested in! I love hearing feed back and that includes story ideas. I have a few on my own that I'm hoping to write but I'm not going to lie, my life is a little hectic. I also have a poll about _this_ story that I'd like to get feedback on, so don't forget to check that out too!

I am sorry that I have been infrequent with my writings- some days are more inspirational than others, I will admit. I'm trying to get my brain in 'neat little piles' so I can see what I want to do next. This chapter is a whopper, so prepare yourself. Its almost double the previous chapter.

Also, as a side note, I'm sorry if there are a lot of grammar or spelling mistakes. That was never really my strong suit in high school. Starting noticing a couple in my first chapter :/

 ** _There is explicit content in this chapter_** _\- I said I would warn you and I have. I really enjoyed writing this part, so I'm thinking about maybe adding other scenes like this one in the story. If you don't want to read it, you can skip it with my breaks. They are marked with an exclamation point before and after the section, marking the sexual content into one area._

I'm sorry for the long author's note and here is the next chapter!

~~~!~~~

Chapter 5: Back to Normal

Annabeth woke up with her head on Percy's shoulder and her stomach a rolling storm of nausea. It hadn't really bothered her before, but the alcohol on Percy's breath really made her queasy. She sprinted to the bathroom and tried to empty her stomach. The only problem is that the child of Athena didn't _exactly_ eat anything yesterday with all the drama, so her stomach let loose a wave of bile and sour smelling saliva.

Annabeth wasn't stupid- she knew that throwing up consecutively in two days usually meant a couple of things, one mainly feminine. _There is one underlying problem to my theory though_ , she reasoned to herself. She was seeing blood in her underwear. Sure, it was a lot lighter than her usual periods, but you don't usually hear about pregnant women getting blood in their underwear. She graced over the idea that she might have had a miscarriage, and decided to do the logical thing and see a doctor soon. Even if that was the case, it was a depressing thought.

She glanced around the bathroom. It was cute, if the daughter of Athena was being honest. It had blue and green walls like the color of Percy's eyes and waves were painted with a light hand around the small room. Their shower curtain had an array of vibrant sea creatures that looked like they were swimming lazily under the sea. While the rest of the house was mainly based off white and Greek designs, this room was decorated with a riot of colors and more modern designs. If Annabeth let her mind wander enough, she was able to picture the beach at Montauk Percy had taken her to before they moved to New Rome. In a weird way, it calmed her.

She got up from her seat next to the porcelain throne, wiped her mouth, and walked back into the living room where Percy sat, trying to regain consciousness. He blinked his eyes blearily at her, confused as to what was going on or where he was. Annabeth could still smell the liquor and for a moment she was about to run back to the toilet, but instead she swallowed down her nausea and walked over to her Sea Prince on the floor.

"Hng," He groaned, wiping his face with his hand. "What happened last night?"

Annabeth snickered despite the situation. "Some people handle emotional stress better than others, it seems."

"I vaguely remember beating a spare sandbag to a pulp and then...," He trailed off a confused look on his face. "I passed the liquor store on my way home. I was so angry I thought maybe the alcohol might help me calm down."

"Is that what you thought?" Annabeth snorted. "You tried to propose to me plastered off your ass."

She gestured with her head over to where the apple sat, clean and bright, in a patch of sunlight on the counter. Percy paled, not remembering what he said but guessing it was something dumb.

"I'm so sorry, Annabeth," Percy said, feeling ashamed. "I shouldn't have-" he sighed. "I shouldn't have approached my feelings like that. I shouldn't have co-"

He was obviously going to say he shouldn't have come home, or something along those lines. Annabeth got on her knees and kissed him with bruising force.

"I'm glad you did," She said against his lips. "And _I'm_ sorry Seaweed Brain. I made a wrong assumption. I-I _thought_ that you were breaking up with me. I came home and I saw you muttering under your breath. Then you looked like you wanted to throw up and you take so much time for practice-" She took a deep breath trying to collect her thoughts. "I just couldn't bear the idea of loosing you."

"So you wanted to break us up on your own?"

"It seemed like a better idea then waiting for you to do it. You procrastinate everything, Percy."

She felt him laugh under her. They both leaned in and kissed once more. It was soft and cute and so heartwarming. Annabeth resisted the urge to cry tears of relief.

~~~!~~~

That day, while she met Percy to take her to work, she forgot she had wanted to bring the apple with her, to accept it in public and make it official. She needn't have worried, because when she walked to the New Rome University cafeteria, she saw the band of her friends around a single table. Frank and Hazel sat next to each other. She wasn't surprised they were there since after they too finished high school, or the Roman equivalent, Frank went to New Rome for, of all things, Zoology and Hazel went for Mineralogy.

"It's basically science and schist," Hazel had told her one day.

Annabeth was surprised by seeing most of her other friends. Nico di Angelo sat next to an adamant Will Solace who was gesturing widely with his hands. Jason and Piper sat together, their hands intertwined, talking to Reyna. Reyna sat with another girl. The name Jessica flew from the back of Annabeth's mind and she was reminded that Reyna was dating the mortal with the keen demigod-like eyes. Leo sat next to Calypso, his eyebrows occasionally bursting into flames with all the emotions. In the middle of the fray was Percy, thinking hard with his feet tapping nervously.

At the sight of Annabeth approaching, his eyes met her's and they shined with love as he smiled wide at her. It was like time stopped as she stared at him. She thought after the whole ordeal yesterday that it would be little awkward between them. Annabeth turned out to be wrong. When she looked at him a warmth spread throughout her very being, straight to her soul.

Suddenly something flashed in the air, something quick and small. Instinctively Annabeth caught it before it could hit the point of no return.

The entire cafeteria of people turned to Annabeth. She moved her head down to look at the golden apple in her hand. With a wide spreading grin Percy looked her in the eyes. She kept her gaze on him as she took a huge bite, swallowed and grabbed the ring out of the golden delicious. It was simple and practical. The outside had a clam shell and a pearl in the middle. On the inside read _I believe in us_. She licked the last of the apple juice from the ring and slipped it on her finger.

The entire room erupted in cheers.

Annabeth ran up to the son of Poseidon. They met in the center of the room, smashing their lips together. Just like that it got extremely heated, like when Annabeth hadn't seen him before the Giant War. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled into the kiss. The entire room was clapping. Annabeth felt tears prickle her eyes as she held onto Percy.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes," She said against his lips, a content sigh escaping her. Suddenly her friends were there, congratulating them.

"What are they all doing here?" Annabeth asked Percy. He slipped his hand around her waist with a goofy grin.

"Our friends love drama. What can I say? You know we can't keep anything from them."

Then suddenly the guys were clapping Percy on the back, while the girls (excluding the ever formal praetor of the Roman legion) were hugging Annabeth with fever. They demanded to see the ring, and when it was time for Annabeth to go to work, her heart broke a little.

When she confided this to Percy, he waved his hand dismissively. "I called you out. Don't think I didn't notice your heaving this morning," he said with an eyebrow raised. "and besides, I want to celebrate with my fiancèe."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but kissed him on the cheek nonetheless.

At the mention of heaving, Annabeth excused herself to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror on the way to the stall and noticed her cheeks were a light shade of green. _Oh no,_ Annabeth said to herself, then she unceremoniously threw up in one of the tiny stalls. She sighed and wiped her mouth. She decided she was definately going to see the doctor sooner rather than later, but decided not to mention it to Percy. Everyone was so happy, and thinking about it would kill the mood. When she left the bathroom, she headed back over to him and the crowd of talking people. Leo was joking around with Frank and Hazel, making the petite girl fan her face. Percy reached for Annabeth's waist again, listening intently to Piper who was holding hands with Jason and talking about Percy's sister.

"We didn't get to talk about her much when we came over the other day. How is Jane, anyway?"

"She's okay, at least since I last talked to her and that was about a week ago. She's sad she can't come see the graduation in June. It's really bumming her out." Percy smiled at the thought of his sister.

"How old is she, anyway?" Jason said fingering his belt loop. Sometimes (although only Annabeth and Piper really noticed) Jason had some real nervous habits.

"She's almost five," Percy replied.

"Only a baby, then," Piper smiled warmly looking between Annabeth and Percy. "Do you guys think you'll ever want kids?"

Percy laughed the question off, but Annabeth could feel his shoulders tense ever so slightly. Annabeth knew that stance. It was his preparing for a monster battle stance, but trying to talk his way out of it first. It reminded Annabeth of the way they had outsmarted Nyx in Tartarus or when they went to the Underworld and confronted the Lord of the Dead.

"Yes," replied Annabeth defiantly. If what she thinks is happening, is actually happening, then she needed to prepare herself and Percy for that matter. He really was oblivious sometimes. Scratch that- most of the time.

Piper nodded her head, satisfied and instead turned to Percy. "Well Percy? What about you?"

"Well...," he trailed off, momentarily lost in thought. "I think that while a kid would be nice, it's difficult to come into the world, ya know? Demigods alone have powerful scents, not to mention-" he looked at Annabeth and blushed lightly "well, the mother involved. All that juicy demigod? Put into one person carrying another?" He shook his head. "It's pretty dangerous."

Annabeth was starting to feel like the bathroom was her favorite room.

"Not even here in New Rome? With Terminus?" Annabeth asked. "Other demigods have had kids before, or Octavian obviously wouldn't have been here. It's obviously possible."

"You prove a fair point, it's just- look think of it this way. Wouldn't you want to go tell your dad? You sure as hell- I know you Annabeth- wouldn't want to tell him over Iris-message. I know for a fact I would want to tell my mom. So eventually, we'd leave the borders anyway. I'm not saying I don't want kids, I'm just saying it's dangerous is all."

Annabeth nodded resolutely. She tried to get around the iron taste in her mouth.

"How about we head home, hm?" Percy asked her, looking into her eyes. She knew what he was saying. _I know you don't agree with me and we can argue more at home if you want._ She really loved him.

She nodded and they both quietly slipped out of the cafeteria and eventually the school, heading home. Percy took her hand as they walked and she leaned her head on his shoulder. The sun gleamed bright over their heads.

"I love you Wise Girl," He said softly.

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain," she added. They walked up to the apartment and slipped inside. It was still sunny out and there were rays of light pouring through the windows.

~~~!~~~ _**Smut part starts around here. Little bit of talking.**_

Percy faced her in the hallway.

"What?" she asked looking up at him. He put his hands on her waist.

"Do you like the ring?" His hands moved up and down her sides slowly like it was an afterthought. Her hands rested on his chest as her face was bent upwards.

"Gods, yes Percy. It's beautiful." She looked down at the ring and smiled. It fit just right, and it looked completely natural on her finger.

"I'm glad you like it, my beautiful fiancèe," he said as his eyes became slightly lidded. They sparkled like the sun on the waves, glinting like diamonds.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Her breathe caught a little as his hands reached to cup her butt with soft fingers. She wrapped her arms around his neck with ease.

"No, it's just good to hear you say it."

"I liked hearing you say that word," she replied, nuzzling his neck with her nose. As he leaned over slightly, she felt his hair brush her. She really needed to take him to get his haircut. Or do it herself.

"Which word?" Percy replied curious.

"Fiancèe," she replied kissing his jaw.

"Fiancèe," he said echoing her. She heard the word run through his mouth and the vibrations under his skin as she kissed his flesh. "You're my fiancèe. _My_ fiancèe."

Annabeth couldn't stop herself from making a witty retort. "As opposed to whose fiancèe? Frank's? Leo's?" Percy grunted, trying not to laugh cause it would kill the mood.

"Nico's?" supplied Percy with a slight grin. Annabeth laughed lightly.

"That's one thing I am glad we didn't take from the ancient Greeks. Arranged marriage. He probably would have cried," she felt Percy's hands on her back, smoothing and kneading and grasping. She sighed with pleasure.

"He's from the 40's remember? His family would have expected him to marry a woman anyway,"

"Good for him," Annabeth said caught up in his hands on her back.

"Good for him," Percy agreed, only Annabeth had a very strong feeling he wasn't talking about the son of Hades. Percy leaned down and kissed Annabeth long and soft. He gave a groan of happiness against her lips.

"I can still taste the apple on you," murmured Percy with reverence. He kissed her deep and lovingly. It was a talent of his Annabeth had noticed several years ago. He was great at worshiping her body. No matter what he did, it made her feel good. Like the back rub. It was almost as if Percy knew about how tired she felt today, or how she had a mild ache in her back. She hadn't told him, though. She was going to see a doctor anyway. Why not just add it to the list?

With a sudden prowess she couldn't quite understand, she lifted her legs one after the other and wrapped them around Percy's hips. They both groaned into another kiss. He supported her by her ass, grabbing it with firm hands this time.

"You must really like that ring," Percy mumbled, trying to hold her up. He shifted, lifting her up a little higher to situate better. Annabeth's pelvis met his at the movement causing friction between the two bodies. Annabeth moaned a little as she felt his growing erection under her shorts.

"Shut up," she almost growled. She realized they were still in the hallway and that they hadn't even really entered the apartment. She then grabbed a small fistful of his hair, aching his neck back. He hummed with pleasure, reaching his hands ever so slightly lower on her ass. Annabeth sucked Percy's neck and she felt his vibrations straight to the groin. A moan escaped her as Percy reached his hand far enough to put a finger in her, feeling her wetness trickle on her thigh.

She mentally took a count of all the places they'd had sex in the apartment. She wanted to find a spot they hadn't tried yet.

"Kitchen table," she moaned against his throat. Percy didn't need telling twice. He brought her over to the table, pulling up her head to kiss her and fingering her at the same time. He added another finger with ease. Annabeth moaned with fever.

Percy brought her over to the table and gently laid her down, keeping her legs dangling over the edge. He broke their kiss, working slowly down her body with his mouth. He brought her shirt up to kiss her stomach all the way down to the belt of her shorts. She moaned displeased as he extracted his fingers from inside her. Instead he kicked back a chair and kneeled in front of her. The only things she could see were his hungry eyes looking up at her as he slowly undid her zipper and then slid her pants and underwear off.

"Oh Annabeth you're so wet," Percy said in wonder. She felt him slide his fingers back in, finding a swift rhythm that made Annabeth's eyes roll back in her head. Then suddenly Annabeth felt Percy's tongue smoothing over her. He extracted his fingers to be replaced with his mouth as he rubbed her thighs with his hands. Annabeth held onto the sides of the table, close to reaching her climax with every tease of his tongue.

"Gods, Percy you shouldn't-" She was unclear as to what she would have said in such a heated daze, but she didn't have to worry about it. At that moment Percy started rubbing her clit with one hand, rubbing her right thigh with his other, his tongue still on her in a glorious way. She moaned loudly at the contact. It took about ten seconds after that for her to explode around him. Her body convulsed with her orgasm, sending shock waves through her body, making her muscles twitch in different ways. She was breathing heavy when Percy stood up, leaned over her and kissed her stomach.

"You okay?" He asked her. She grinned lazily at him but her eyes held a hungry glow- they wanted more. With conviction she nodded her head and pulled his lips toward hers. She groaned as she tasted herself on his lips and in his mouth. Annabeth heard the sound of his zipper fly down and her body singed with anticipation.

They both moaned as Percy positioned himself and went inside of her. With a satisfied groan and a quick look at Annabeth, Percy started moving.

There were a few things Annabeth loved watching when this was happening. She loved watching his hands, which used to hold Riptide so tight and raw, smooth over her stomach and frame her body. She had always told him he had the hands to play the guitar, because when they made love this way she swore she saw him play her emotions like chords. She also loved watching his lips. Usually they were relaxed and had that half smile she loved, but when they got intimate they slightly parted. Sometimes Percy would bite his lip in this delicious way and he did it especially when Annabeth wouldn't be in the mood because at the look at his lips she suddenly was. Every time. Annabeth also loved watching his muscles. Not just his shoulders, which tensed in pleasure, but his stomach as well. She could see the ripples of strength beaded with sweat. Annabeth's special watching place was Percy's eyes. His beautiful sea-green eyes that seemed to get darker when they made love, resembling only what Annabeth could call waves on the shore of a cliff. It was dark and sensual and moving, so much so that Annabeth got lost in his eyes most of the time.

With all of it at the same time, it was a wonder Annabeth could control herself. This was, after all, for Percy's pleasure as much as her's.

When the time came, Annabeth saw his eyes plead a little waiting for her to go first and she let go. Her body was wracked with her second orgasm and she felt Percy explode inside her.

They were both breathing hard as Percy pulled out of her smoothly, not wanting to hurt her. She looked up at him, exhausted. She was about to tell him to give her a moment and then they could cuddle when Percy picked her up and placed her on the couch. Her limbs were like putty and she found it too tiring to move. He left for their bedroom and came back in pajamas, carrying some for her. She was about to protest that she could put them on herself, but she decided it wasn't worth the effort when he did it in half the time she would have.

~~~!~~~ **_Technical end of the smut._**

He went back to their bedroom and produced a blanket and a pillow. With the latter he placed it under Annabeth's head, and with the former, after crawling in behind her, he draped over them on the couch. He went to go kiss her when he got a confounded look on his face,which then turned to humor as he looked longer.

"What?" She asked, but she already knew the answer. She could feel drool escaping from her mouth at the corners, in fact, her entire mouth was covered in saliva.

Percy was trying to hold back his laugh by turning it into light snickers.

"It reminds me of the first thing you ever really told me," Percy said, taking the incentive and wiping her mouth with the corner of the blanket. Annabeth was not only grossed out, but completely embarrassed.

"What was that? Wasn't it something about the summer solstice?" Annabeth said remembering dimly how she had asked the unconscious boy about the big plans no one would tell her about. She was stubborn, she'll admit that.

"No," Percy said with a half smile. "The first words I was _conscious_ for anyway. You told me-"

"You drool when you sleep," They both said together, Annabeth remembering watching a card game, a frizzy haired Percy, and a frightened Grover eating a Diet Coke can.

"Yeah," Percy said nodding his head. Annabeth sighed contently, cuddling up to the son of Poseidan. Even though it was around 7:30, Annabeth found she was extremely tired. She fell asleep with Percy's arms around her and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 _ **Author's note again**_ \- Holy crap that was a lot to write. Seriously. Longest. Chapter. UGh. Loved it though. Anyway, go and leave a review, a fav, whatever you want to do, etc. Again, I'd love story ideas so if you have any requests, I'm much happy to oblige. I'm in a lot of fandoms (Which can be seen on my page BTW c; ) so I'm pretty much up for anything you can throw at me. If you want to read more from me then tell your friends! Surely someone else loves PJO as much as you and I ;) See you guys ~Cryellow


	6. Chapter 6: Does it Hurt When I Press?

Between Two Wars

Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica

~~~!~~~

Chapter 6: Does it Hurt when I Press Here?

Annabeth was shamed to admit that she forgot to go to the doctor. She had told herself that whatever it was she came down with, she was going to figure it out. Unfortunately the shrine of Neptune was being rebuilt, not to mention the other projects Annabeth was doing. With that mixed with finals coming up soon, Annabeth had little to no time to even breathe. It was about a week after Percy had proposed to her in the middle of the cafeteria, after Annabeth had come home from work, sometime around 5-6, when she opened the door and sprinted to the bathroom.

Percy sat next to her, rubbing her back softly and holding her hair, as she threw up in the toilet for the 4th time that week.

"Ugh," Annabeth said, her eyes streaming from the tears. "This sucks."

Percy looked at her for a confused and worried moment. "You said you got your period a week ago, right?"

"Yes, Percy. There was blood and everything. I know what you're thinking."

"Well," he said, rubbing his neck with one hand up. "If it's not then you are seriously sick, Annabeth. I want you to go see a doctor tomorrow. We can cancel date night, and I don't want to hear any complaints."

Annabeth nodded at him, exhausted not only from the day but also from so much throw up. She had even had some nectar and ambrosia with her pill in order to calm it down a little, but it didn't help. "Okay."

The next day Percy wanted to go with her to the doctor but Annabeth brushed him off. "You just have dinner ready when I get home, okay? It won't be anything serious, probably just some weird stomach virus. You can even go and practice, if it stresses you out that much."

Percy had nodded begrudgingly but stayed home nonetheless.

Annabeth walked over to a small quaint little building across New Rome, that most if not all the families went to. It was the equivalent of a doctor's office, but it wasn't anything fancy. It's not like they can't have unicorn drought or something like that, so most of the time the building was empty except for a few doctors, a nurse or two, and people who had illnesses or marks that the other methods weren't helping. Annabeth decided that if anyone could figure it out, it'd be one of the Aesculapius children, whom really loved helping others. It was such a small place that they always had walk-ins. Any sort of appointment was nearly impossible without a phone,(and since phones are big no-no's to any sort of demigod or descendant that ruled out that) so Annabeth was accepted with open arms into the office.

A woman approached her with a lab coat and a stethoscope. "You must be Ms. Chase, hm? Follow me." She led Annabeth around the building and into a small room with the regular doctor stuff. Annabeth went and sat on the bed, while the doctor stood and looked at Annabeth with scrutinizing eyes. She held a clipboard in her hand, filled with what Annabeth could only assume was her records. Demigod logic: You ask a child of the health god for help and all of a sudden they have all your records. Annabeth didn't give them any information aside from the fact she was sick, so she believed it was safe to assume that they had some kind of power in order to get the medical records. Scary.

"Well Ms. Chase it says you've been having difficulty with some nausea and vomiting. Have you eaten anything bad in the last few days?" Annabeth looked at the woman. She had brown hair in a loose bun and glasses without upper rims. Her eyes were a bright brown and her curvy body was upright, in full concentration on Annabeth's problem. She felt herself relax under her scrutiny and she swore it had everything to do with the doctor and nothing to do with Annabeth actually liking being there. This woman had a power of relaxation and made Annabeth want to tell the truth about everything she had ever done. She resisted slightly but replied regardless.

"No, Dr...?" Annabeth asked politely.

"Oh, sorry!" She said smiling and holding her hand out. "My name is Doctor Harper."

"Well Dr. Harper, I had all the same stuff as my fiancè and he isn't sick. I tried taking a little ambrosia with my pill yesterday morning and it did nothing."

"Okay, then. Have you had your period recently?" Dr. Harper looked straight at her so it felt like it was going through her soul.

"Yes," Annabeth replied without hesitation. "About a week or so ago."

"Were there any issues with it?"

"Some," Annabeth said. It came involuntarily, like her mouth was forcing her to say it. "It was thinner than usual and I didn't have my usual cravings or terrible cramps. They were light cramps and not crippling ones." She covered her mouth in shock, not that she hadn't been about to say something similar, but the idea that she couldn't hide anything from this woman was a little embarrassing to say the least.

"Don't worry about it, Annabeth. I get that from my father. People are naturally honest against their will in my presence. Now I'm going to do a quick once-over and then see from there, hm?"

Dr. Harper put down her clipboard and grabbed Annabeth's wrist lightly. To Annabeth it felt like she was taking her pulse, however Dr. Harper was nodding in concentration. She was about to pull away when she gave a surprised gasp and let go of Annabeth.

"You need to stop taking your pill immediately."

"D-Doc? Why?" Annabeth looked up at her with brows furrowed.

~~~!~~~

Annabeth's throat was tight. She honestly couldn't believe something like this would happen. It is, after all, slim to impossible of a chance, on her medicine. She had shrugged it off as some type of reaction to stress or maybe even some abnormality. She got a sinking feeling in her gut.

She walked home from the doctor's office, darkness spreading over the horizon as night set in. She recalled something that Dr. Harper had told her.

 _"You're going to need to take these instead of your birth control pill." Doctor Harper had laughed. "It looks like they didn't help you anyway. If you continue to take them, it will be dangerous and blood you saw is natural. There is no problems as much as I can see so you should be fine after taking these vitamins."_

She had obviously suspected this result. It was the highest probability anyway. She just wasn't quite sure how to tell Percy. _Maybe I should tell him at dinner. We both had our doubts about me being just 'sick'. He probably already knew this would happen_ , Annabeth thought to herself. With a slight jolt she had remembered what he had said to Piper.

 _"All that juicy demigod? Put into one person carrying another?" He had shook his head. "It's pretty dangerous."_

And he was right. It is dangerous. But now it's happening. Now it was a reality and not just some visualization.

Annabeth kept walking the streets of New Rome, her head bent a little in concentration. Darkness had fully settled onto the streets and it was mostly deserted save a few stragglers. She was just walking onto the street across from their apartment when she heard screams.

She whipped her head up as she saw people shouting and running. There were veterans, coming out of their houses in full Roman battle armor. She looked around, trying to find out what was going on. She didn't see a single monster. Instead, she saw the people turning on one another. She saw men picking up chairs and hitting one another. She saw children punching the legs of adults. She saw everyone in the vicinity hitting each other and harming each other. Within a few moments, a couple of people lay on the ground, unmoving. One was a child, their red hair an aura around them, their face blank with shock.

Annabeth stifled her sob with her hand and prepared herself for what was to come. She knew there were two possibilities; either she was about to be another one in the fray, hitting and fighting, or she was going to become another victim with a blank face of shock. Her senses heightened and she looked across the street to the other end from where she was. There was black smoke, forming it's way slowly across the street. It went into one house and a woman ran out screaming, coughing, and wielding a high heeled shoe. Annabeth watched as the woman threw the shoe directly into the throat of a man who had been kicking a stray kid. The man collapsed on the ground and the woman screamed victorious. She then proceeded to yank the shoe out, and sink it into the child on the ground.

Annabeth watched in shock as the smoke hit another house and a man escaped, his face getting more wrinkled and more weak until he evaporated into dust.

Then Annabeth saw the smoke slowly roll its way over to another house, but this one was her own apartment. She screamed and ran as fast as possible, maybe hoping to grab Percy and run, maybe hoping to fight off the smoke, she wasn't sure. She ran right in front of it, but she was too late. The smoke billowed into her apartment, but Percy didn't come running out of it.

"Annabeth!" She heard Percy scream through the mass of terror. She whirled around, her back to the fog and saw Percy coming down the road toward her. He must have gone to practice his swimming, because there was water dripping on his shoulders from his hair. That's when she noticed two things. One, she was going to be consumed by the fog and turned feral. Two, Percy was about to chase after her. He was going to try and follow her or save her. She looked him dead in the eyes, panic and fear arching her features.

"Run, Percy run! Go! Leave camp! LEAVE CAMP NOW!"

She felt the smoke fall on her and she gave a shudder as it took over her. She only had time to scream "I love you!" before she blacked out and knew she had become one of the screaming mass.

She prayed to every god she knew that she would survive this, but knew that the only ones listening were the ones who held her prisoner.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ Hey. Sorry it is so short! I'm leaving it on a cliff hanger. Next few chapters are from Percy's POV. I really love to play on the idea there is nothing Percy can do. He usually has a lot more character and a lot of emotion during that type of stuff. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I'm working on a variety of fanfics that I hope you'll enjoy! Be sure to check them out when I post them and be sure to fav and review and all that stuff! Ciao for now ~Cryellow


	7. Chapter 7: Round and Round We Go

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

~~~!~~~

Chapter 7: Round and Round We Go

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Percy's mouth was hanging open. He stood in shock as he watched his fiancèe get taken by the black fog. He watched her bend over, her head in her hands, as she fell to her knees in front of their apartment.

 _A few hours ago-_

Percy sighed after Annabeth left. He was really worried about her. Throwing up four times in a week isn't usually something that happened to Annabeth. Sure, he had his own thoughts and doubts as to what it was, but right now he was just hoping the doctor might have some idea. She had reassured him it wasn't a big deal, but Percy could tell she was worried. Percy dimly wondered if demigods could get cancer, it's not like there was a handbook. They usually patched themselves up with some nectar or ambrosia but Annabeth had said she already did that. Besides, he himself had been almost poisoned during their voyage on the Argo II and had spent a good couple days -almost a week actually- just throwing up in a good portion of the toilets. So vomiting was kinda above the whole 'nectar healing' thing.

"Cancer is a little dramatic though," Percy grumbled to himself. He decided the best course of action was to not think about it, and grabbed his bathing suit from his school stuff.

He went to the pool connected to the New Rome College, and swam the breast stroke for a solid hour. His body shaking from all the effort, he continued to train. His goal was to be in the Olympics by age twenty-three, but since he's spent so much time on school it's been a little bit of a stretch. He was better than all his teammates, at least. He could easily out swim every one of them without even thinking about it. It also kinda helped him that he breathed underwater, but sometimes he pretended like he didn't, that way he didn't hurt his teammates' morale. He also had an uncanny ability to train so hard that he forgot to stay dry and got himself soaked in the process.

By the time he was almost completely drenched in sweat, he decided it was time to go home. _Annabeth should be done by now_ , he reasoned. He put his regular clothes on, his hair completely soaked, and walked out into the street headed for home.

He heard the screaming and the shouting from an adjacent street and ran his way over onto the street where the apartment was. He could see the rolling black fog, slowly moving it's way across the buildings and the street filled with yelling people. There were people yelling and shouting. They hit each other; some even fell over at the contact of the dark fog. He felt his own heartbeat speed up as he looked frantically for any sign of blonde hair.

Fortunately, he didn't have to look very far. Percy heard a screech as Annabeth ran toward their apartment and stood outside, waiting for something. He realized with a jolt that that something was _him._ He looked up at the fog above her head slowly making it's way toward her.

"Annabeth!" He screamed, looking fearfully at her. She turned her whole body towards him, relief on all her features. That only made him more scared. Her entire body was now facing him, and not the mass of blackness that threatened her. For a split second she looked like she wanted to tell him something. Instead she realized her mistake too late.

"Run, Percy run!" She screamed back at him. "Go! Leave camp! LEAVE CAMP NOW!"

Percy's mouth was hanging open. He stood in shock as he watched his fiancèe get taken by the black fog. He watched her bend over, her head in her hands, as she fell to her knees in front of their apartment.

He heard her shout with all her might one last phrase before she was taken- "I love you!"

His body leapt into action. He didn't have Riptide since it had been taken by the border patrol Terminus (screw that terrible god and his weakness) but he made due with his own fists. He ran his way toward Annabeth, bumping and running past anyone in his way. He had got right in front of the fog, almost to Annabeth when he noticed the eyes in the darkness. There were several pairs. One was green, another was yellow, one was an even darker black than the fog, others were mostly shocking red like demons. Percy stood wide-eyed as he looked into the mass of horror and suffering. For a brief moment he thought he saw his mother in there, but that didn't make sense. She was back in New York. She had to be.

His moment of hesitation was his downfall, because the next thing he knew he was on the ground with bright blonde hair in his face. He was about to shout out in surprise, but she punched him in the face.

 _Annabeth?!_ He shouted in his head, as his fiancèe straddled him and pounded him to the ground. She had wrapped her legs around his arms, so he was forced to lay beneath her as she beat him to a pulp. He looked up at her as she wailed on him. Her eyes were no longer stormy gray, instead they were black as night. Her face was in a twisted sneer as she continued her assault.

Her surprise quickly faded, however, and he pushed her off of him and stood in front of her. He wiped his bloody face with his hand, a severely confused look on his face.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, looking at her in shock. He heard her laugh maniacally and shake out her bloody knuckles. Her body was bent at an odd angle, her back arched and her head down a bit as her body leaned to the right. Her face held a crazy smile- one he'd never seen on her before. Her black eyes looked like she had gone completely insane.

He held up his hands at her, misery clear on his face. "A-Annabeth I don't want to hurt you. Please!"

Even as he said it, he knew that the daughter of Athena was gone. This wasn't her. This wasn't the same girl that had rode with him to Las Vegas in a truck full of cages, or fought with him in countless battles, or kissed him under the water after the war. This wasn't the same girl that had bled with him at the Parthenon, or the girl who had made him jump for joy, telling him they were going to New Rome. As he looked at Annabeth he saw every memory he had had with her. Some were bad, sure, but most were good. But this wasn't his Annabeth. The only problem was, if he hurt _this_ Annabeth, would it hurt _his_ Annabeth? Is something possessing her? Or was it some type of illusion?

She gave him a mock shocked look with hands on the side of her head. When she spoke her words were like the scratch of a chalk board mixed with a cat's hiss. It made Percy flinch and harden his resolve that it wasn't Annabeth at all. "Oh don't hurt me! I don't want this new body to go to waste! So much trauma already!"

She gave him a feral lopsided grin and started limping her way toward him. Her body looked broken and dead. Percy fought an urge to sob.

"I promised you, Annabeth. I promised you on the River Styx that I'd never leave you. I _will_ keep that promise." He slowly backed up. He didn't want to heed her words- that meant leaving her alone- but he wasn't sure he had a choice. He was fresh out of other plans and options. The black fog kept swirling hopefully in his direction, planning to make a meal of him too.

"Annabeth's not home at the moment, care to leave a message?" The thing said, twisting Annabeth's features into a slightly wider grin. Then he saw Annabeth's leg move forward, and suddenly she was attacking him. She was swift, despite having almost no practice since they moved to New Rome. Percy was admittedly just about as bad. Most of his time was spent in swim practice, not monster fighting anymore. Whatever had consumed Annabeth had obviously given Annabeth some sort of advantage. Instead of being about as weak as he was, she was raking her nails over his body and punching in vulnerable areas. He regretted not keeping his battle armor after the Giant war.

He realized that no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it wasn't Annabeth, he couldn't hurt her. He couldn't force himself to punch her back or even to knock her out. He wasn't capable of doing something like that to her. He stumbled back farther away from the darkness, dimly pressing against someone's shoulder. He looked over at the person, expecting another one of the ravenous zombies like Annabeth.

What he got was Frank Zhang. With a gasp, Percy saw someone with golden hair and chocolate skin attack the Chinese-Canadian. Before Frank could get the crap beat out of him, Percy ducked Annabeth's punch, and kicked Hazel square in the chest. He knew Frank couldn't have done it himself, just as he couldn't hurt Annabeth. Sure, the son of Poseidon felt bad for Hazel, they were family, but it was easier fighting someone that you didn't have to sleep with every night. Percy locked eyes with Frank and felt a warmth as the Roman knew just what to do.

 _You can't fight Hazel, and I can't fight Annabeth_ , Percy conveyed with his eyes. Frank nodded and swung around to face the daughter of Athena. Percy whirled and faced Hazel, her usual golden eyes now a swirling mass of black. She gave a crazy laugh that Percy somehow heard over all the chaos, but only because he knew she had done it.

"Poor, pure, little Hazel thought you would cure her curse," Hazel's mouth moved but the shrieking sound that came from Annabeth also came from the darker girl. It reminded Percy of nails raking through solid ground or wails of the damned. He had heard a few in his time. "Too bad she was wrong. She never did figure out if she was 'cured'. Too bad she'll never find out."

Hazel limped like Annabeth had; swift and broken. Her head lay to the side, swaying as if it was only attached by strings.

"She's used her powers!" Shouted Frank. Percy glanced briefly over to him and saw him holding Annabeth's wrists. She had scratched his face a few times, apparently, since he had bloody marks all over his face.

Percy looked back over to his own fight, where indeed Hazel had risen large chunks of gold the size of baseballs. She started chucking them at him like she was pitching for the Yankees.

He dodged a few, but after he came up out of a duck, one hit him square in the gut. He got the wind knocked out of him but knew what he had to do. He feigned falling over and grasped his stomach with a grunt. As Hazel came over to examine him, he swung his elbow up in the air surprisingly quick, and knocked it straight on top of her head. She knocked out cold.

Percy glanced over at Frank and saw he had her in- were those claws?! He had- in fact- turned into a giant crab, and had Annabeth in between his two claws. Percy winced as he looked at the dirty form of Annabeth hanging in his grasp. She was also unconscious. Some part of him yearned to take her in his arms and clean her up. Unfortunately the other parts of him, that were screaming that they had to run, were the ones he was listening to.

"We have to get out of here!" Percy said over all the shouts and chaos. He glanced nervously at the smoke that came ever nearer to the end of the street where they had ended up. Frank turned back into himself for a brief moment and looked at Percy with grim eyes.

"We can't trust anyone. Not everyone has the black eyes. I've seen some come out of the fog without the eyes, killing and ripping apart people." He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what it is- or better yet if we have reinforcements. Just because I left the legion earlier than Reyna doesn't mean I forgot the schedule. They'd be in limbo right now. It's time for the exchange of campers before summer. A lot of our people are spread across the country."

"Then we need to get out of here and warn them!" Percy said with determination. "We can't stay here!"

Frank nodded and turned into a large silver back gorilla. He picked up Annabeth in one hand and Hazel in the other. Frank hobbled after Percy as he ran to the end of the street and tried to remember the fastest way out the city.

~~~!~~~

The four demigods had passed the Coliseum about fifteen minutes ago. Percy and Frank had walked east through a good portion of all of New Rome, seeing people in a craze all the while. Percy had resisted the urge to stop when he thought he saw a brunette in a purple cape, but decided if it had been Reyna, he wouldn't want to approach her in such a state anyway. He reasoned that the best course of action for himself, the two unconscious girls, and Frank was to keep going to the Pomerian line and hope to call on Mrs. O' Leary to shadow travel them somewhere. Maybe even talk to their good pal Terminus, the talking statue god, who was supposed to keep things like a swirling mass of evil out of the city.

Percy didn't have long to wait since Terminus was in a heap a few steps ahead of them. Percy blinked in shock as he walked up to the pile of rubble that was supposed to have protected the city. Percy heard Frank drop the girls lightly and grunt a little as he changed back into a human.

"Terminus," Percy said, rummaging a little to find his head. He pulled out two slabs of marble and pressed them together into the shape of the border god's head. "What happened?!"

Terminus was chipped in places around his mouth so it sounded like he had both a lisp and a mild stroke. "Too many g-g-gods. I... couldn' stop em'."

"Gods? Are you telling me gods just destroyed the city?" Frank said in disbelief.

"The darkest...the-the...cruelest...the kindest..." Terminus was muttering at this point. Percy decided that he might have to leave the statue to regenerate on the hill alone. Staying within the vicinity of the mangled city was not an idea he wanted for anyone- but he had two knocked out girls, and he was already almost passed out from so much action in one day after so long.

"Riptide, do you have it, Terminus? I need it," Percy said valiantly. He tried not to put his panic into his voice, he had been through this much chaos before, but all of those times he had Annabeth. This time, he had only Frank, and he seemed even more tired than Percy was.

He heard a small poof as his ballpoint pen fell to the ground next to the rubble. Percy swallowed his pride a bit and looked at the statue in his hands. "I-I want to help you Terminus, but we have to get help. We'll get reinforcements. You have to stay safe as much as anyone else. Try to delay them as much a possible, maybe even find a way to make them leave. We'll be back as soon as possible, I promise."

Percy felt Terminus nod his head in his grasp. He put the statue down, stood up and made the loudest possible taxi cab whistle he could.

He saw Mrs. O' Leary bound up to them and looked at Frank with an eyebrow raised.

"Where are we even going to go? Four demigods all the way to Long Island is a little much for her," Percy said, patting his hellhound's neck. She nuzzled up to him, having missed him for so long. He had made sure when he moved to New Rome that she stayed relatively close. It was Frank who had decided that Hannibal the Elephant could use a friend in war games. Mrs. O' Leary had loved the idea so much she had coated Percy in a layer of dog slobber that had lasted almost a week. It was, however, a very busy time of year and so the last time he had seen her was around March. He frowned and promised himself that he would visit her more often.

He saw Frank nod in concentration. "Is Jason and Piper still at Mr. McLean's house? I don't know where it is but I bet Mrs. O' Leary could find it."

"We don't want to accidentally show up right in front of him, remember? Piper always said she was adamant that he never knew about all this. A hellhound right in his face is a very rude wake-up call."

"Then how about just Jason and Piper?" Frank looked at him desperately. There weren't exactly a lot of people on this side of the coast that they knew, Percy realized. The only other people that Percy thought about was Annabeth's family, and he sure as hell wasn't putting this on Mrs. Chase. She was always on pins and needles about the whole demigod-thing, anyway. Walking right up to her door with a giant black dog and two unconscious demigods was not a good idea. He begrudgingly nodded to Frank's plan and helped load the two girls on the back of his dog. He hopped up onto her behind her ear and whispered into it.

"Find Jason and Piper, girl. I know you can do it."

Percy caught one last sight of the foreboding darkness and the mass of screaming people before he was whisked away into the shadows.

~~~!~~~

 _ **Author's Note**_ : Okay don't kill me please. I know it's long, and I am so sorry about that. I just couldn't help myself. Action is like one of my favorite things to read in novels. I found that writing it was just as pleasurable. We will learn about the darkness a little more in the next few chapters but for now I like it a mystery. I also wanted to have a Frank-Percy type moment in here because as beautiful as Riordan's work is, he did a major no-no in totally letting go of their whole relationship. SoN was a book dammit! They were good friends at one point! Anyway, fav, review and all that Jazz. Also I'm going to be posting a new story soon so you should check it out. (For fans of Percico, hint _hint_ ) Bye lovies! ~Cryellow


	8. Chapter 8: Trouble in Paradise

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning) _**THERE IS MILD NUDITY. IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, IM SORRY.**_ _(I get a little bit into it, but I'm just naturally a detail kinda person. Again, sorry)_

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

~~~!~~~

Chapter 8: Trouble in Paradise

Percy POV:

He immediately felt guilty at his decision to go to Piper and Jason's house. Sure, Percy'd been in some awkward situations in his life. There was the time when Nico had admitted his crush on the older teen. There was the time (he would never admit it out loud) that he got a boner from looking at the sun god hopping out of his dream car. There was even the time he had turned back from being a guinea pig and saw Annabeth in a seriously hot outfit (also boner worthy). He didn't even want to think about his first time with Annabeth. That had been really awkward at first. _This_ , however, was a whole different type of awkward.

Mrs. O' Leary, bless her soul, had brought them smack dab in the middle of Piper and Jason's bedroom. Percy had opened his eyes from the darkness and got a fabulous view of Jason's naked ass standing in front of an equally naked Piper. It wasn't hard to guess what they were doing, they weren't exactly covering anything.

His hellhound had brought them to Piper and Jason while they were in the middle of the throws of passion. Obviously Frank had got the same view, because he instantly yelped the minute they landed. Percy heard a large thud, as Frank Zhang the previous praetor of the Roman legion, fell with shame onto the hardwood floor.

With a scream Piper took one look at the beast and rolled herself into the sheets, covering herself as much as possible. Jason wasn't as quick. He turned his body wondering what was happening behind him. Percy got a subsequent view of his glorious manhood. Percy gaped at the two of them, but really what could he have expected? It was around 10 o' clock. It was also _their_ bedroom.

Jason shouted a loud, grabbed the nearest thing (which was a heart shaped pillow) and covered himself as much as possible.

" _What are you guys doing here?!"_ Jason shouted wide-eyed. Percy closed his open mouth and knew he was a million shades of red. He cleared his throat with effort and moved his eyes to meet icy blues ones. Jason's eyes looked like he wanted to murder him in a bunch of different ways. Percy couldn't blame him. He'd be just as mad if it was he and Annabeth in that position, however he wasn't. Percy didn't think he'd ever be able to get that image out of his head, but he tried to speak anyway. They deserved and explanation.

"I-we-uhm," was basically all that came out of him. He was still thrown by the fact he had now seen both of them naked. They still were. Percy tried to keep his eyes up, but Jason wasn't doing a good job with that heart pillow, and his erection was poking up out of the top.

"How-how about you two get dressed and then we'll talk," Percy said averting his eyes and focusing on the wall beside Jason's head.

Jason blushed several shades, grabbed both a blanket, which he covered himself with, and his clothes from the bed, and walked with Piper into the spare bathroom to the right of them.

"Oh gods," squeaked Frank from the floor. He stood up and brushed himself off.

"We are never going to tell anyone this, understood? We found Piper reading a book and Jason half asleep." Percy said it in hopes that he'd remember it that way, instead of the reality before him.

"We found Piper reading a book and Jason half asleep," Frank repeated, his face almost as red as a tomato.

Percy hadn't known what he was expecting exactly but he knew it wasn't that. He had kinda hoped that it would end up like some drama show and he can hop off Mrs. O' Leary like the hero he was and proclaim that their beloved camp was under attack. This was one hell of an entrance, he mused to himself. He promised himself he'd take a sip of the Lethe after this whole ordeal was done.

~~~!~~~

Percy sat on the floor in front of Piper and Jason's couch. The thing was big enough for eight people so it was perfect for two demigods laying on their backs. He sat in front of Annabeth, holding her hand. Part of him wanted her to wake up and say she didn't know what was going on. Part of him wanted her to stay asleep. Mostly because she looked peaceful this way, but also because he was afraid that when she woke up that it wouldn't be her. He was afraid that it would be that _thing_ again.

He was dimly aware of Frank telling his story to Piper and Jason who, thankfully, were now fully clothed. Jason sat in an armchair facing the couch where Frank sat at the other end from Percy, stroking Hazel's hair. Piper sat on the armrest of Jason's chair, her head bowed in concentration.

"Hazel and I," Frank began. "We like to take these little walks around town after class. It usually helps our stress. We only live a few blocks from Percy and Annabeth so we didn't find it odd that she was walking home. She had passed us without noticing us and we decided to pay them a visit since we hadn't seen them since their engagement. That's when we heard the screams."

Frank took a shaky breath as Jason interrupted him. "Screams?"

"Please let me finish. I-I can barely tell it as it is."

"Go on," Piper said, taking Jason's hand. Percy felt his body relax a bit as he heard Piper charmspeaking. Frank gave a stronger breath and continued his tale.

"At first they were far off, to the west. We thought maybe it was just a late war games or maybe some type of drill. That's when we heard the screaming get closer. People were running and screaming and causing mayhem. I saw a grown man stab his husband in the chest with a chair leg.

"I was about to turn into a falcon, maybe an eagle, I wasn't sure. Something to get myself off the ground and see what was going on up there. Before I could, I heard Hazel shout for her mother. She grabbed my wrist and looked me in the eyes. 'Do you hear her? Where is she!' Of course I didn't hear anything but the chaos growing closer. She sprinted down the closest street. When I turned the corner, I saw it."

Franks eyes look haunted and terrified. He tightened his grip on Hazel's hair for a moment, feeling the golden strands like it was fine silk. There was silence as the three other demigods listened raptly for the Roman's story.

"A giant wall of black. Swirling with these colored eyes. It was like smoke had an evil twin and this one caused more problems than cancer. It moved slowly over the ground between the apartments all along the streets. Hazel ran right for it, screaming for her mom. I watched as she was consumed by the fog. I thought she was a goner. I was wrong."

Percy remembered thinking he saw his own mother in the fog, but then he had been attacked by Annabeth.

"When she walked back out she had black eyes- no whites at all. She-she attacked me. Thank the gods she didn't have her spartha, being in New Rome and all, but she still had strength. I couldn't fight her," Frank said almost below a whisper. "I couldn't hurt her, even if it _wasn't_ her. It still looked like her. It moved with her body. It-it used her _powers._ She started chucking diamonds with full force before I ran. I ran into another street and turned to face her. The fog was behind me. That's when I bumped into Percy."

Jason and Piper looked awestruck as they looked at the two men. Percy closed his eyes a little, trying to prepare himself to tell them. He realized no matter how much he tried to prepare himself, it wasn't going to be easy.

"Annabeth went to the doctor across town. I went to practice. On my way home I saw her run toward our apartment. She-she was worried about me. She thought I was in the apartment." He looked at her unconscious form laying on the couch. Her breathing was a little off, but it wasn't anything bad. He moved a strand of hair from her eyes. "I shouted to her but it was too late. She was already too close. It consumed her. She ended up like Hazel, but- but she doesn't have any powers, per say. I could have easily beaten her hand-to-hand, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. I stumbled into Frank. We knocked out each other's girlfriend. Frank carried them while I ran to the Pomerian line. Terminus- he was a mess. He said that the fog was _gods_. None of it made sense."

Jason and Piper looked at the both of them dumbfounded. Jason recovered a little faster. "But what about the others? The people in the city?"

"We didn't know who to trust," Frank said quietly. "Not everyone got black eyes. Some were just attacking for no reason. I saw a child fall over and turn into a seventy year old man. It was chaos. We thought we saw Reyna, but we had to get them to safety."

"What if they're still like that when they wake up...?" Piper asked a little scared.

Through Percy's haze of worry a few things registered. He felt like he had been in this same situation before. Also, he realized that Jason had an Imperial gold sword pointed at both Percy and Frank with Piper protectively behind him. Piper gave a surprised grunt, looking at her fiancè from the back.

"What the hell, Jason?" Frank said, squatting in front of Hazel to protect her. Percy followed his lead and sat in front of Annabeth, drawing Riptide out of his pocket. Percy noted that Jason didn't even move his sword. He realized that the blonde wasn't looking at the girls; he was looking at _them._ Percy thought for a moment that the boy in front of them had been affected by it all somehow- maybe there was a stray baddie that had taken a hold of Jason. With a jolt, Percy recollected his time being a personal puppet to an eidolon, the phantoms who possessed things- mainly humans. It hadn't only been Percy, but Jason and Leo too.

Percy thought maybe something like that had possessed Jason like it had Annabeth and Hazel. He glanced at the other man's eyes and saw they were still their bright sky blue. Jason's eyes showed his fear and his uncertainty.

"He thinks we're like them," Percy said realizing. "He thinks we aren't ourselves."

Frank looked at him in disbelief. Jason's eyes hardened and Percy knew he had been right.

"You just said you didn't know who to trust. You said not all of them had black eyes. You also said that you left Reyna in that mess. _Alone._ Tell me those aren't things I should be worrying about."

Piper opened her mouth, shocked at her fiancè. "Jason I don't think-".

" _Don't_ charmspeak to me Piper. I know what I'm doing. They would never have left Reyna on her own like that. Especially since they both had Roman training. You always protect your praetor, even if you aren't in the legion anymore." Jason's mouth tightened showing the little scar above his lip. He almost looked angry at them. "Regardless of her status, she is our _friend_. How could you leave her in that mess?!"

Percy felt a sinking in his stomach. He knew this- he wanted to go and get Reyna out of the fray. He had wanted to keep her safe too, but he knew that had meant leaving Annabeth somewhere, where she might have been hurt or worse. Jason wasn't being unreasonable when he said these things to them. He had thought about them ever since he had saw her. Percy tightened his jaw with resolve. Even if he denied these things, would they sound believable? How could he convince him that he wasn't some ass-kicking zombie?

"It would have meant leaving the girls, Jason. I couldn't put Annabeth somewhere to get hurt while I tried to save Reyna. Besides, what if Reyna had been one of them herself? What if she attacked us? All of us know we aren't a match for Reyna, specially since it was just Frank and me. We didn't even know if it was really her. It could have been someone else, I mean how would she have ended up on the west side of New Rome?" Percy shook his head, looking at Jason with concern. "We came to you for help. If we were just trying to kill you we could have done that when you were vulnerable. Why should we wait and tell you our story? There's no logic here, Jason."

But Jason didn't seem like he wanted to listen to logic. He looked like he was about ready to hurt them regardless. All four demigods felt the shock of electricity as Jason became lost in his thoughts.

"That's enough! Put down your weapons!" Piper said sternly at all of them. Percy immediately dropped Riptide like it had scalded him. Frank hadn't been holding anything, but Piper's charmspeak was so strong it made him lower his fists. Jason's weapon went down about a foot, but he kept it up somehow fighting Piper. "Jason, I swear! They aren't monsters and they have good reasoning! You're being ridiculous. Lower the sword!"

His weapon eventually dropped out of his hand against his will, but he obviously wasn't happy about it.

"We can't know if they aren't monsters," Jason said through gritted teeth. "They said it themselves. You can't trust anyone."

"Well if we can't trust them then I guess we're dead," Piper replied. "We're one Leo short from being the Seven again, so you can cut the crap. We have to figure out what the ones in Annabeth and Hazel are, first. Maybe even _who_ they are. If it comes to it I'll just use some deity worthy charmspeak and knock them out. We won't need to stain the carpet."

Percy nodded his head once, looking at Jason still skeptical. "I like where your priorities lie, Piper. First the carpet, then the monsters."

"Well I quite like the carpet the color blue. It would be pretty ugly in purple, don't you think dear?" Piper asked Jason, giving him a pointed look. The son of Jupiter relaxed a little, trusting in his fiancèe more than he trusted the people in front of him. He nodded at Piper's question and sat back in the armchair.

"Remember the eidolons?" Percy said looking at Piper. "I think they are being possessed by their demented cousins. After all my years I still don't know every beast and baddie but I'm pretty sure it's something like that."

"You would be correct, sweet Sea Prince," said the screeching voice coming from Annabeth. Her eyes were open, showing off the black abyss with no whites. She sat up and Hazel sat up with her, both of them grinning at the people in front of them. Their bodies looked broken and dead, just as they had before being knocked out. Percy's gut dropped to the floor as he picked up Riptide in front of him. He pointed it at Annabeth with shaking hands, knowing he could never be the one to harm her.

"See but our 'cousins' as you put it usually don't harm the host. Our purpose is to tear them apart from the inside."

 _ **Author's Note**_ : This is getting good. :3 We needed some humor in this story. (Or cringe. IDK not everyone likes my humor.) I originally planned on 13 chapters but _that_ isn't happening for obvious reasons. Too much action and event right now. Poor Percy never gets a break :C What will happen to Hazel and Annabeth? Will they go completely insane? And who are these monsters? _Find out next week on BETWEEN. TWO. WARS._ Lmao Later ~Cryellow


	9. Chapter 9: Pesky Princes

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

~~~!~~~

 _ **Author's Note:**_ HEY! Sorry for not posting this yet! I've had a little writer's block, but I'm back in action! I really love this part. It focuses on what I feel are Percy's true inner demons. _Gotta love a suicidal persassy_. Anyway, I hope you like!

~~~!~~~

Chapter 9: Pesky Princes

Percy POV:

Annabeth's face contorted into an evil smile with a bent neck. She laughed at their expense at the words she had just uttered.

"Well good luck with that. We're all a mess." Percy said without thinking. He never really had a filter when it came to monsters. He told them how he felt with no beating around the bush. He could have been home with Annabeth in their nice soft bed, but no. She's possessed by some _thing_ and he is making jokes. Life is great.

"What are you?" Piper said fiercely, crossing her arms. Even though the charmspeak wasn't aimed at him, Percy felt like he wanted to tell her every single title or label he had ever been given. Percy briefly wondered how Jason won any arguments but then realized that the poor guy probably never did.

The two girls turned their heads to Piper and gave a nasty laugh. They spoke in unison. "We are the madness lurking within your minds. We are the crazed thoughts you feel before sleep. We were once the nurses of Eros. We are the many voices in the heads of-"

"We get it; darkness and scary, oh no! Names, please?" Piper said with a wave of her hand. Annabeth and Hazel looked affronted at having been interrupted.

"We are the Maniae," they both said.

"That doesn't sound good," muttered Frank. He was looking at Hazel with concern.

"This ones easy," Piper said, despite the slight shake in her knee. Percy also saw her eye twitch but decided staring wouldn't be a good confidence booster. "You will swear on the River Styx to leave my friends-"

She was interrupted by the hissed laughter of the maniae. Annabeth's mouth moved as the mania spoke through her. "Oh yes we would love to leave your friends."

Hazel laughed a sick and twisted laugh. "Yes leaving them would be good. Leaving these bodies means they fall apart."

The four demigods took a moment for that to sink in. _Fall apart? Will their bodies get destroyed?_ Percy asked himself. These maniae weren't ringing any bells for him but he hoped one of them knew what was going on. They talked a lot about insanity, he noted. Frank was right, this didn't sound good to Percy either.

"What do you mean fall apart?" Piper said sharply. She looked upset that her plan had failed- mainly because it looked like they weren't listening to her charmspeak. Percy chanced a glance at Jason. His brow was furrowed in concentration while his hand held onto his sword with an iron grip. Unfortunately, the only ones who might be able to fight the maniae would be Jason and Piper- except they faced the same fears, Percy mused. They were all friends. The prospect of fighting two of their own wasn't a pleasant thought. Percy then moved his eyes to Frank. He looked several shades of green. "Answer me!"

"Oh we'll answer because we want to and it's fun, not because of your silly tries at charmspeak. You cannot speak to the mad. There is no reason. To your question- they will fall apart from the inside. This one for example, still remembers all the juicy details of the Underworld. That should be a treat having to relive that horrible place." Hazel spread her arms a little bit with a content sigh.

Frank's eyebrows came together. "That place was sad. It wasn't exactly a pleasure cruise, but it isn't going to make her insane. She mourned her own death, but it's not like she died in some painful way. She went to Asphodel, not the Fields of Punishment. If anything you'll just make her bored."

"Hell, even _I've_ been to Asphodel. It isn't exactly scary." Percy said. He bit his tongue at the prospect of this mania trying to find some other horrible memory to show Hazel. He _really_ needed to filter himself. With a jolt he realized that these beings were pulling _memories_. Of all the demigods, Annabeth and Percy had the worst. They went to Tartarus. If Annabeth is forced to relive those memories, could she do it? Could she struggle through?

Percy felt bile rise up in his throat. The maniae had them in a paradox. If they remove the monsters, Annabeth and Hazel go completely insane. If they left them in there, being forced to relive their own memories might do the same thing. Percy never felt more weak than he did in that moment. Monster fighting was pointless if you couldn't hurt your opponent. Especially if you are trying your best _not_ to harm them.

"Neither of you have died, so much as the girl knows. Dying is much worse than you think it is. She waited for decades, never finding her mother. She watched in agony at the many hundreds of faces in the crowds and she could do nothing. If the boredom, like you said, doesn't make her go insane, I'm sure the despair will." Hazel's mouth turned up a little at the corner and her pure black eyes gleamed.

"If you hurt her I swear," Frank growled at Hazel. It was kinda comedic that he would be yelling that at the girl he was trying to defend.

"Swear you'll do what, Frank Zhang? Hurt me? But then you'll hurt her too. You are now in a war that you cannot win. You will be forced to hurt your people- your friends, your neighbors, even your leaders. You will be forced to harm them, or be harmed yourselves- so tell me, what do you swear? Swear to kill us? Swear to murder your own girlfriend? You heroes are never ready to make that sacrifice."

Percy almost threw up on the spot. Percy saw that Frank wasn't far behind him. He saw Jason take the hand that wasn't holding his sword and wrap it around Piper's waist. Her mouth was open in shock, staring at the faces of her friends who were trapped behind these monsters. Despite having been in two wars to date and countless battles, Percy felt tears fall from his face. It wasn't like he had any control over them, but he was sort of embarrassed to be crying in front of the people who usually saw him as a leader.

He couldn't help himself. This was the thing he feared the most- Annabeth in trouble while he had no power to help. She was stuck in limbo while he gets to watch helplessly from the sidelines. He would gladly give his life for Annabeth- he not only has proved it many times, but he had also said it to her hundreds more. Only this time, it didn't seem like him dying would help her. He couldn't search for her like he did one snowy winter with two hunters- she was right in front of him. He also couldn't leave her on her own like her quest in Rome. If he left her to her own devices, she'll go mad.

Annabeth broke into a wide grin as she looked at him. "See, this one understands. Look at him- he sees how hopeless it all is. Be glad you figured it out now and not later, son of Poseidon. You probably just saved your own skin."

"You bastards think we won't find a way to kill you? You think we won't save them? Tell that to every other monster that has ever crossed my path. Tell that to the hundreds of baddies and goons that have fallen into the hell hole Tartarus at my hands. You will be only one of the insignificant many that I have fought. We _will_ kill you, so laugh it up you psychotic freaks. You don't have very long. That's a promise." Percy felt his very soul burn with hatred at these things. His fists were clenched to the point were he was starting to feel blood in his palms. His face had dried from his tears

He saw Piper turn to look at Jason, meeting his eyes with a silent plea. Percy didn't know what it was about, but he suspected it had something to do with knocking both of them out again. He felt his head throb in sympathy as he knew Annabeth was about to get her second head injury in a matter of hours. Piper turned back to Hazel and Annabeth, her face in full concentration.

"Why did you attack New Rome?" Piper asked. Percy hadn't noticed it before, but she held her own blade (courtesy of the immortal Romeo Zethes) in her hand. She was twirling her blade in her hand, distracting Percy a bit from her question. Percy realized that this act was on purpose. He saw Jason ready himself for some kind of impact.

"We are honor bound to keep our silence," both Annabeth and Hazel said in unison, almost against their will. It wasn't because of Piper's charmspeak, Percy noted, but rather the question itself, like it was branded into their thoughts. "Our oath on the Styx is bound by Lady Lyssa herself."

"Were you alone in the attack?" Piper asked instead. Her arm shifted ever so slightly, aiming upward.

"We are honor bound to keep our silence. Our oath on the Styx is bound by Lady Lyssa herself."

"Then who is Lady Lyssa?" Piper asked, cocking an eyebrow at them. She glanced briefly to the ceiling and Percy mirrored her. Above the couch was a crystal chandelier, one that Percy had been too focused on Annabeth to notice. He knew what was going to happen before he did.

Both girls laughed at Piper with mirth. "We will never tell you," they said in unison. Before they could pick up their sentence or commence into more cryptic things, Piper threw her blade at the top of the chandelier. It snapped and flew downward. Annabeth and Hazel, being too caught up in both Piper's sword twirling and trying to answer questions, looked up with surprise as it hit them both on the heads. Percy, thankfully, had been paying attention and had grabbed Frank by the arm the minute Piper had thrown her sword. Both boys lay about a foot away, in front of the armchair where Jason had been sitting previously.

Percy looked up from the floor and shot to his feet (after having laid a bit on top of Frank in a _very_ awkward way by accident). He ran over to where both girls laid in a heap under all the crystal. Both of them were out cold. Percy lifted the chandelier off them and put it to the side of the couch, trying not to leave any on the girls by accident.

Percy walked in front of Annabeth's unconscious body and fell to his knees, his hands at his sides. His shoulders slumped as he truly understood the situation in front of him. There was no way that this could turn out okay; no special backup or fancy skill work that could save them. For someone whose greatest flaw is his loyalty- it was only now that he truly grasped what that meant. What it entails.

He couldn't leave Annabeth with the maniae or she'd go insane through her own memories. He couldn't force them to leave or they'd pull whatever ties they had to her sanity apart. He couldn't fight her- _no the maniae_ \- or it might hurt Annabeth, besides, they were wearing her skin like it was a Michael Kors special on demigods. He couldn't even _think_ about hurting her. It was Annabeth. But the true measure of how truly shitty the situation was, was the fact that he would gladly take her place, even if it meant his own loss of life. He would gladly take both of those monsters and fight them inside his head.

Like his face was under a hundred pillows, he heard the three other demigods talking.

"We can't keep knocking them out. Trust me, getting knocked out once is bad enough." Percy heard a wince and knew it was Jason.

"What _can_ we do? It's not like we have very many options. They have us cornered, and they obviously know that." Frank's distressed voice came through to Percy.

"First we have to figure out more about those maniae," Piper said. Percy heard a soft _pat_ and knew she had slammed her fist on her palm. "Always know your enemy. Anyone got any ideas?"

Percy heard the silence stretch behind him. It was obvious that none of them actually knew who these things were. Some monsters just weren't covered in training camp. Percy stared numbly at Annabeth's sleeping form. Her blonde hair was a fan around her and her eyes were closed shut in a dainty way. Not that Annabeth was every dainty, it just looked that way. Percy's eyes gazed across the rest of her. With his brow furrowed, he looked at her hip. She was laying on something.

Percy picked her up a bit and moved her so her back was laying down. There was a bulge in her pants pocket. With numb fingers he extracted the object. He looked down and his confusion grew. _Vitamins?_ He asked himself. _Why does she have vitamins? She's the healthiest girl I know._ He deposited the pills into his own pocket and promised himself that he would ask her later. Well, if there was a later that is.

"Percy?"

Percy turned his head behind him to the other people in the room. Piper was directly behind him, her hand stretched out as if to touch his shoulder. Her face was beyond worried and Percy guessed that his entire body had been betraying how confident he was trying to sound. He was still on his knees in front of Annabeth, his whole body slumped forward as if yearning to lay with her. He quickly sat up a bit, trying to pull off some courage.

"Yeah?" He said blinking his eyes.

"You've been to camp longer than any of us. Do you know what these maniae are? Or what they do? Anything you remember can help." Her charmspeak washed over him, giving him strength and warmth. _I can do this_ , he thought in his mind. Only, the voice sounded more like Piper herself to him. _I have to remember what they are. No big deal. Everything is fine._ He tried to conjure up any memory or thought. Anything to help. He came up empty except for what they had said themselves.

"I don't know," He said honestly. "They did give us a lot, though. Whoever 'Lady Lyssa' is, is probably their master. They also mentioned that they were the 'nurses of Eros'. I'm not sure, but that's something to work with at least."

"That's okay. Maybe you and Frank should have a rest, hm? You guys look awful tired, not to mention you guys were in the middle of all the fighting and what not." Piper wasn't using charmspeak on him, but he felt how tired he was and realized she wouldn't even need to.

Percy felt a thought tickle his mind. Something about giving himself up for the maniae. It was wiggling right out of his grasp until he backtracked his thoughts. Then it came to him.

"I-I think we have to talk to them," Percy said a little uncertain. "We have to talk to Annabeth and Hazel while the maniae are knocked out. You can't charmspeak them, but you can charmspeak the girls. We have to try talking to them- they're the only ones who can fight them."

Jason nodded in understanding. "It's a battle from the inside."

"Okay," Piper agreed. "But you need sleep first. Both of you."

Percy was about to protest that he felt fine, but he saw Frank curl up on the floor. He glanced over at the big guy and felt his own tiredness weighing him down.

"Only a few hours though," mumbled Percy defeated. He leaned next to Annabeth grabbing her hand and leaning his head next to her stomach.

His eyelids grew extremely heavy and he knew he was going to have a nightmare.

~~~!~~~  
 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE PT 2:**_ Hope you fav and review! ALSO! Here's a snippet of a new fanfic I've been working on. P.S. it's another Pregnant Percabeth. My Percico fanfic is still in the making though, so don't you worry! I Haven't come up with a title for this one yet, but here goes.

Tears fell from Annabeth's eyes like it was a factory. She held onto the little plastic thermometer type thing in one hand and her own belly in another. She looked down at the stick one more time, as if looking a different direction would change her results. It didn't. There was still a plus sign in the middle of the stick.

She wasn't quite sure if she was beyond happy, or beyond scared. This was _not_ what she had planned for. Yet, both she and Percy had always talked about it. They had always been open to the idea. _In a few years,_ they usually said. But what about right now?

She was then extremely furious at her Seaweed Brain for knocking her up. She was about to reach for the faucet and call him from work, he was part of an animal rescue crew that sailed along the Puget sound, but she then decided against it. She should tell him face-to-face, shouldn't she? She should at least be out of the bathroom, even if that was where she was going to be spending a lot of time from now on.

 _Maybe I can surprise him with it,_ she mused to herself. She left it on the sink and left the bathroom with bated breath.

Later, she'll wish she had called him from work. It would have saved a lot of heartbreak for herself. It would have made it easier for her to leave him during the day and after the call, but alas, she didn't. She didn't, and instead she would end up leaving him at the bright early hour of 5 am. If only she had made the call...

 _ **What would happen if Percy wasn't nearly as nice outside of monster fighting? What will happen in this thrilling tale of heartbreak and sadness? Find out in my new fanfic, to be published soon!**_

 ** _Last Author's note:_** Don't forget to fav and review and all that glorious stuff! I can't believe how many views I've already gotten! I love you guys so much! The new fic should be up by the end of the week, along with another chapter. Love ya! ~Cryellow


	10. Chapter 10: Turning Turning Turning

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning) _**Some kissing in this chapter, nothing too serious**_.

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ BEWARE. LONG CHAPTER AHEAD. There might be some touchy stuff in there, but it's nothing too bad in my opinion. Have fun!

~~~!~~~

Chapter 10: Turning, Turning, Turning

 _Annabeth's POV_

Annabeth looked upward, blinking her eyes. She winced as the sun hit her eyes through the open blinds in her's and Percy's apartment. She moved her head to the side, hoping to find her Sea Prince beside her. Annabeth furrowed her eyes a little as she noted his absence. She looked around their bedroom. The closet was closed, as was the door, and Percy's whole side of the bed.

 _Maybe he went out for breakfast?_ Annabeth asked herself. She got out of bed and looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of fuzzy pajama pants and a tank top. Shaking away her sleepiness, she went to the closet and got dressed, putting on a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She combed through her hair and left their bedroom content and ready to start the day.

She walked into the kitchen and found Percy sitting down and eating a donut rather messily. Crumbs littered the table as he shoved the pastry to his face repeatedly.

"Morning," Annabeth said with a smile, sitting in front of him were he had placed a donut for her. She raised an eyebrow as Percy continued to get crumbs on the table and on his _Ocean hair don't care_ t-shirt. It was her favorite t-shirt of his.

He finished off his first donut and started destroying a second. Annabeth stared at him a little but then decided to eat her own breakfast. She looked down and saw her favorite, a boston creme on a napkin, and reached to grab for it. She saw the glint of her engagement ring and smiled to herself at the calming sight of it. She was about to say something to Percy about plans or maybe even what he was going to do today, when she noticed he had both hands on his donut, eating like a madman.

 _Okay,_ Annabeth said to herself. _Percy's a messy person but two hands? Seriously?_

"Woah there, it's not going anywhere babe." She laughed a little, trying to sound light. Percy looked at her with a slight blank expression and started eating it like normal. There was something in the back of her mind she had wanted to tell him, but Annabeth forgot about it the more she tried to remember. She sighed frustrated and started eating her breakfast.

"What day is it?" Annabeth asked Percy, trying to remember what she did yesterday. Her brows furrowed a little in concentration as nothing came to her mind.

"Tuesday," Percy replied with a slight grin. He finished his second donut and started wiping up the mess. _That's weird. He usually does that after I'm done with mine_ , Annabeth thought. She looked back over at him and saw the pile of crumbs back where they were. She blinked but decided she must be tired.

"Oh," Annabeth replied. "I thought it was Friday."

"Oh yeah," Percy said, nodding. "I'm an idiot. What would I do without you Wise Girl?"

She smiled at the compliment and continued to eat. "You'd probably be dead."

He laughed his usual gorgeous laugh. "You're right. You're always right."

Annabeth squinted her eyes a little at him but didn't comment. _He must be in a good mood for some_ reason. She thought to herself. _Did we agree it was Friday? What happened yesterday? Thursday...hm...date night._

She felt a pinch in her forehead at the thought of date night. It was in the back of her mind, _she knew it_ , but alas, she remained with nothing. Maybe they had especially good sex last night? But Annabeth didn't feel particularly sore, and she doubted that his behavior would only be because of sex. She still didn't put it past him though.

She finished her donut and saw him clean his mess as well as her napkin. She groaned at the prospect of going to class.

"I really don't want to go to class today." She said, leaning her head back and looking at Percy. She exposed her neck, hoping she get some loving nuzzles before the start of her day. Annabeth was granted her wish as Percy slowly kissed her neck up and down, once kissing her collarbone and other times kissing her jaw.

"So don't," Percy said devilishly against her skin. "Just skip class."

Annabeth closed her eyes in bliss, contemplating the idea for a moment. She was just about to give her answer when her senses noted different surroundings.

She opened her eyes as her nose filled with the smell of campfire smoke. She looked around at the vast land of Tartarus.

~~~!~~~

 _What am I doing here?!_ Annabeth screamed in her own head. She looked around and felt Percy's arm around her waist. Her body felt weak and she looked down at her clothes and noted they were tattered. They sat next to the river Phlegethon, resting on a crack of rock overlooking a cliff.

She looked over at Percy and saw his messy form. One that she had only seen in Tartarus. Annabeth felt her eyes go wide as she took him in and realized without a doubt that she was back. Any ideas she had, died in her throat.

"Where-What?!" Annabeth squeaked out, looking at Percy in shock. His head turned to her and he gave her a confused look.

"What's wrong, Annabeth?"

"What are we doing here? We were just in the kitchen- you wanted me to skip class- why are we back _here_?" Annabeth got out in horror. She felt herself grow pale just looking at the place. Definitely not her favorite place.

"Skip class? Annabeth do you need another drink? What do you mean 'back here'? We never left."

Annabeth felt her entire being growing pale, shocked, and terrified. They couldn't be back there. They _couldn't._ And the way Percy said 'never left', like they hadn't sealed the Doors of Death. Like they hadn't been through Tartarus before.

"Percy, how old am I? How old are you?" She looked into his eyes, desperate to know the answer.

"Annabeth I do think you need a drink..." Percy thought about her question a moment, his eyebrows pressed together. "Well it's hard to know with Tartarus being a mythical place and all, but I think you're still sixteen for a few days and I'm also sixteen."

"Oh gods," Annabeth said. "This can't be real- it can't be. I was just- we were just- and you-"

She tried to come up with _some_ explanation for this. Some explanation for why she had seen everything up to the both of them in college- _but she was still in Tartarus with him?!_ She could find none. Nothing fit. Nothing made sense to her.

She tried to place where _exactly_ she was in Tartarus, anything she could remember from the time she spent there. Or dreamed about spending there. What if that's all it was? Everything up to college had been a dream? Or just a happy thought that had carried her too far? But her memories weren't happy were they? She had seen so many horrible things after they had left Tartarus that she wasn't sure anymore.

She wasn't sure if it had all been a dream.

She swallowed a wave of nausea that had threatened to come out. "Did I fall asleep?" she asked Percy.

He was looking at her severely concerned. One of his hands had flown to her forehead, obviously fearing that she might have a fever. Or worse, maybe a head injury somehow.

"No," He said. "We were just talking about Bob."

Annabeth's eyes grew even a little wider as her memory plunged her into what she could perceive as the present. It was before the fight with the pack of empousa, before Bob the Titan had saved them. Before he had came with them on their journey.

"What?" Percy asked her. "What is it? Something about Bob?"

Annabeth's mind whirled trying to piece together her thoughts. What if everything she'd seen wasn't real? What if it was all fake or implanted? Could she trust what happened? She decided to assume that it was true and tried to make a logical plan.

It was then that Annabeth remembered something Bob had told her in her 'memories' of Tartarus. Something about the Giants and the Titans against them.

"We have to go. We have to go now!" Annabeth said frantically, taking Percy's arm and pulling him to the cliff. He followed her misty eyed, obviously confused by the whole turn of events. He suddenly lurched his arm out of her grip and she turned to face him.

"Annabeth, no! What's wrong? Why are you acting like this? Why do we need to leave?" Percy looked at her in total confusion and worry. Annabeth felt acid in her throat as she tried to think of what to do next. She wanted desperately to tell Percy what was going on, maybe so he could help her understand, but they didn't have time. The elder ones were following them. That's what Bob had told them in Annabeth's 'memories' when they stopped at Hermes' shrine. They needed to move as fast as possible. The only problem was that Annabeth knew what would happen next. They were about to be caught by the empousai, but they were also going to find Bob. He was very important in this whole thing. She was torn between wanting to run as fast as possible and wanting to wait it out here on the rock until Bob came.

Eventually she decided the only logical thing was to retrace their footsteps, even if that meant a lot of pain and fighting. Annabeth felt like she wanted to throw up.

The thought pulled back her feeling of the thought at the back of her head. Something about throwing up...But was it even valid? If Annabeth was correct and all of her 'memories' had been just a vision then she'd never remember.

She felt herself blink her eyes, trying to keep herself together. She breathed a deep breath and looked at Percy calmly. It was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. Just a little after effect of the Phlegethon. Maybe we should stay away from it for a while? Really, I'm fine, but we should go."

Percy nodded, obviously not believing her, and started down the cliff just as he had done in her 'memories'.

~~~!~~~

Every time Annabeth remembered something dumb she had said in her 'memories', she wanted to scream. Going through there once was bad enough, but twice? While she knew what was going to happen? She almost destroyed her resolve to stick to the script she remembered.

Annabeth tried to reason with herself that honestly there were something that just had to happen. The longer she stuck to this plan the harder it was for her to follow. Little by little Annabeth felt herself growing more and more insane, trying to stick to what she had done before and trying not to cry, knowing what would come.

 _Maybe this is the dream, and I just fell asleep during class_ , Annabeth said to herself. It would have been sensible, if the ground beneath her feet didn't feel so real and the air didn't taste so toxic.

Every now and again Annabeth would feel that tug at a memory, something trying to surface in her mind. Something about Percy, wanting to throw up, and Bob. Something she had said to him... It was half the problem. The other half was knowing for certainty that Bob would be stuck down here, and Annabeth couldn't think of any alternative.

So far, her 'memories' were going exactly to plan. Every single thing that happened Annabeth seemed to remember.

Annabeth, Percy, and Bob walked up to the shrine of Hermes' intact. Annabeth knew she was supposed to sleep, but felt it much more impossible than 'last time'. She curled up, trying her hardest to pray that it would all go away when she heard a voice.

"Annabeth if you can hear me I want you here,"

The voice was Piper's undoubtedly. It was also charmspeak. Annabeth blinked her eyes, looking around to find where she could have heard that voice. It was impossible.

"This isn't supposed to happen- I'm supposed to fall asleep next." Annabeth said with her eyebrows furrowed. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, trying her best to follow the script even if it was killing her.

"Annabeth!" Piper's voice said again. Annabeth turned her head and found that the voice was coming from Percy. Annabeth's confusion grew.

"Annabeth you need to fight them! You need to fight from the inside!"

"Fight who? We'll be at the curses soon, but you should be with the Argo right now." Annabeth said dazed. She couldn't quite grasp what was real anymore. Her own body felt weird and fuzzy.

Annabeth distantly heard Percy's voice, scared and worried all at once. His voice was deeper somehow, weirdly more manly. Like the voice from her 'memories'.

"It must be showing her Tartarus. Oh gods. She thinks she's back in that place!"

"What do you mean back? I never left," Annabeth murmured completely at a loss. She heard a sharp intake of breath and instead heard Piper's voice once more.

"Annabeth listen to me. I probably don't have long. You need to fight the maniae from the inside, do you understand? Never stop fighting! I believe in you!"

"Maniae? The spirits of madness? But I won't see Nyx til' later. Til' after we meet Aklys." Annabeth felt like her head might explode. She tried to grasp at reality but didn't know which way was true.

For a brief moment she thought she was in Piper's living room. Percy knelt at her side from the couch, his face completely terrified. Piper stood next to him, Jason and Frank behind them somewhat to the left. Her head throbbed.

Suddenly she was back in Tartarus, curled on her side and trying to sleep at the shrine of Hermes'.

"I should have never let you go to the doctor alone. I'm so sorry I left you, Annabeth." Percy almost sobbed with his manly voice.

Doctor's. Left her...? And suddenly it hit her. She remembered what she had forgotten. She remembered walking home from the doctor's office, her mind a whirl of thoughts. She remembered the massive wall of black slowly descending on their apartment. She remembered that she was pregnant with Percy's baby.

Her surroundings disappeared. Instead of Tartarus Annabeth lay on black. The surface seemed had, but there was nothing anywhere. There was no light except for the small patch she lay in. She got to her feet, turning around and trying to make some sense out of any of it. There was nothing. Nothing everywhere.

Then suddenly there was a woman standing in front of her. She looked like an escaped mental patient. She was small and thin, a gray dress hanging off her form to her knees. The dress itself was tattered and dirty, as was the woman's body. The woman lifted up her head and Annabeth laughed. It was a psychotic laugh she never knew she could make.

The woman's eyes were completely black with no whites. Her face was sharp at the edges and her chin was pointy. Her eye sockets were deep and sunken and her lanky black hair fell around her like it was dead. The woman was also laughing, her hands curled at her sides.

Annabeth felt her eyes go wide and she covered her mouth with her hand, but her laughing didn't stop. She felt her head split in a hundred different ways. She let go of her mouth and clutched her head, trying to ease the pain.

All of a sudden the woman stopped laughing and so did Annabeth. She gasped, trying to focus on anything but the horrible pain going through her head.

Mania...that's what Piper had called her. Annabeth knew about these spirits- she had learned them when she learned about the different daemons of Greek mythology. Some of the maniae were good- they gave demigods helpful dreams/nightmares and had taken care of the god Eros when he was born.

Some of them were bad, however. Annabeth had heard stories of people driven to madness by these beasts, forced to live their own fears and worst memories. They weren't very friendly beings. Most of the time they stuck to mortal mental patients, making them think they're crazy for hearing voices in their heads.

She had also heard of another tale, deep within archives of Greek script. Stories of a mania who took over a pregnant woman and possessed her child...

Annabeth kicked the woman right in the chest, no talking needed. Usually she wanted to outsmart the monsters and make them do dumb things of their own accord. This was not the time for small talk with daemons.

The woman fell back giving a surprised shout. The woman stood again, a smile on her creepy lips.

"Oh I like were your head is at, Annabeth. I hadn't planned on doing so originally. I thought that you were just some demi-god. Didn't know I'd get the whole package for free. Three for One! How could I resist?" The mania's voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard and a cat's hiss. It was a truly horrifying sound to Annabeth. She fought off her headache by sheer force of will and readied herself to attack again.

"You touch me- or my baby- and I swear to all the gods-" Annabeth hadn't quite realized what the monster had said. She was too determined to fight to notice the daemon's words.

"Annabeth, sweetie, I've already been inside your head. I've seen all your thoughts. All your hidden thoughts of being abandoned? Seen those. My particular favorites were the ones about Thalia, Luke, and your parents. Pretty juicy. Also loved your control issues. Poor Annabeth never felt like she had anything organized in her life so she became extremely controlling in her personal one. Seriously, you got more goods in here than most grown men."

Annabeth gasped at the notion that this _beast_ had seen everything about her. She was about to retort something possibly witty when she decided action was the best reaction. She punched the skinny bitch in the face.

She sprawled on the ground for a moment then disappeared. Annabeth turned around and brought her elbow up, hitting the monster in the face from where she was trying to surprise her.

Annabeth grabbed the thing's head and brought her over her knee. The mania tried to get up but Annabeth grabbed her head and smashed it on the ground, stomping on it for good measure. The mania gave a cry of pain and retreat a few feet away.

"I don't know how you got in here, but you better _get out_ ,"Annabeth said fiercely. "The dummys at Camp Half-Blood are better opponents than you. I could do this all day, so try and come at me. We both know that I've had years of training, or do you want to put it to the test?"

The thing laughed it's psychotic laugh again, tapping her head thoughtfully. "Do I want to stay here and fight you? Hah! How about I just jump into one of your precious demigod babies, hm? Much easier than fighting you."

"One of...?" Annabeth said, shocked for a moment at the beast. She then saw the thing disappearing through the floor and lunged at it, grabbing hold of it by the wrist.

"You can't come!" The monster hissed at Annabeth. "Mommy needs to stay in her _own_ head. Or do you even want to be a mother? I've seen the darkest parts of your mind, Annabeth. I've seen you contemplate ways of getting rid of them."

Annabeth almost threw up, knowing that it had crossed her mind. With a world full of monsters and gods who used you, would it really be a good place to bring a child? Annabeth shook her head a little, knowing the thing was messing with her mind.

She yanked the thing's wrist backward, making sure that it stayed in her own mind if only for a little while.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ I am so sorry that it's a cliff hanger! AH! I didn't mean to write this much I swear! Look- to make it up to you I'll just have to post another chapter soon. I personally _love_ where this story is going. It wasn't what I originally had in mind but it kinda grows around me. Be sure to fav and review and allll that good stuff! Until I write again, love you! ~Cryellow


	11. Chapter 11: Break Away

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ BECAUSE OF HOW AWESOME ALL OF YOU ARE, I DECIDED TO UPLOAD ANOTHER CHAPTER! I have been getting so many views and favorites, it just warms my heart! Thank you sooooo much! Seriously. I was self conscious to put any of my work up online but I see how everyone's reacting and it makes me so happy! Besides my joyous ramblings, I promised not to leave it on a cliff hanger for too long! So here you go!

~~~!~~~

Chapter 11: Break Away

Annabeth POV

Annabeth straddled the hideous daemon, one hand at it's throat and the other high in the air ready to punch down on it's face hard. The spirit's lanky black hair was split down the middle, a fan around her on the pitch-black ground.

"I _told you_ " Annabeth said roughly, looking into it's black eyes with no whites. " _Don't even think about coming near my baby_."

The mania laughed her psychotic laugh, looking up at the daughter of Athena with humor. "Haven't you heard me, dear? I've said it several times. You have two little buns in the oven."

Annabeth felt her face slacken in understanding. _Twins?_ Annabeth could barely grasp the thought of _one_ child. But, two?

"Oh yes, cause for celebration. But now that we are of the same mind I control your body. I could do anything I want with it. Let's say a nice little walk back to Camp Jupiter, hm? I'm sure a my siblings will take good care of the little tykes in my wake."

Annabeth felt her eyes grow wide and she let her fist fall down hard. It hit the monster, but it didn't look like it did nearly enough damage. Annabeth understood what the monster was suggesting- that she control Annabeth's body and walk head first back into the black abyss that had taken a hold of her the first time. She looked hard back into those eyes.

"Why didn't you do it the first time, then? Why wait til' now?"

Annabeth saw a slight twitch in the daemon's eye. The beast raised a sickly looking arm and slashed the air beside them.

Annabeth looked into sea green eyes that were wide and terrified.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted loud, about to lunge for him. He looked utterly miserable, and he sat alone just mumbling to her. His hands held her right one close to his face. Every once in a while he would kiss her hand or nuzzle it with his cheek. It seemed that he couldn't hear her, however, and Annabeth realized trying to contact him was futile.

She also realized that she had no idea where he was, or more importantly where _she_ was. She turned downward, looking at the mania and understood her earlier question.

Percy, the stupid bastard, had probably ran to help her, right after she had screamed for him to do the exact _opposite._ She felt another question on her lips and didn't hesitate to ask the monster underneath her.

" _Where are we?"_ Annabeth said, her forearm placed roughly on the woman's neck. It was thin and weak under Annabeth's angry threatening but she felt another laugh escape the mania.

"Why, in your mind, sweet little _Anna._ At this moment it looks empty save for yourself and I. That's because that is what we are focused on, right now. Also because your extremely annoying fiancè and his friends have knocked us out for the second time."

Annabeth felt a little shock go through her as she heard her childhood name. Honestly she hadn't heard it _since_ then, before she left home in utter fear as spiders chased her through the house. That nickname was used by a little boy, a friend Annabeth had before her life took an unexpected turn. The boy had been her neighbor and was the only one Annabeth knew who had ever called her anything other than her given name. The memory gave her a little sadness but she tried to grasp instead at what the mania had said. She had been knocked out twice. Ouch. And what did the mania mean by "we are focused on". This was _Annabeth's_ body and mind. She was _not_ about to let some psychopathic freak with an eating disorder take over what was rightfully her's.

And surely she wasn't about to let it take over her body when she was in such a precious state.

"You are going to leave my body _alone!"_ Annabeth said fiercely. She was breathing hard. She honestly didn't have a plan to expel the daemon from her mind but she played it off anyway.

She wasn't even quite sure what was happening. If what the mania had said was true, and she was in her _own_ mind then what was her form now? How the _hell_ was she fighting a mania in her own mind? How did any of this work? She felt as if she was there, but _not_ there. Annabeth really wished she wasn't so inquisitive. Sometimes it gave her a headache.

"Am I really? Please. Spare me. The things I could do to your body are _endless_. I could get up, right now, and murder your _precious_ boy right before your eyes. You could watch as his blood flows through your very fingers. Feel his last heartbeat under your fingertips. I could reveal to him your _special present_ and then let him watch as I jump off a cliff. What better way to drive someone insane than to show them they are utterly powerless?" The woman's scratchy and hideous voice reverberated around Annabeth. The thing gave a nasty laugh at the very thought. Annabeth felt her mouth open wide in shock. She couldn't let these things happen. She wouldn't be _able_ to. She couldn't see them unfold right between her eyes as she watched from the sidelines. This, however, was the monster's plan. Annabeth went back to what she knows. Stalling for time.

"Why would you make me relive Tartarus? Why-Why did I see our apartment?"

The mania calmed her laughing and sighed a little. "Well the apartment bit was just a reaction to my entrance. You know, the whole 'you see what you want to see' bit. Softens you up for my real intentions. Then I go into your worst memories. I had so much material to work with! I honestly didn't know where to start! First I was thinking about the whole Arachne thing and then I was like 'nah there's better stuff in here Medora' and then it hit me. Boom! What better place to start at then the _whole_ trip of Tartarus! Even some of my sisters are scared of that place! After Tartarus I was going to slip in some parts about the whole runaway thing but _obviously_ that wasn't going to happen. Ms. Charmspeak decided it's best to use her powerful voice on you afterall."

"Medora, is that your name?" Annabeth said with disgust. She didn't want to relive her memories. They were in the past for a reason.

"Did you think we 'monsters' are only called by our species? Surely you'd know better than that. Your fiancè's brother has a name. So do other monsters, not just Giants and Titans." Medora hissed under Annabeth, a wild look in her eyes.

"It's not that. You look more like a Broomhilda then something okay-enough as Medora," Annabeth said back. She thrust both her hands on the mania's neck and gave it a squeeze. Her face got red under Annabeth's hands but she gave a strangled laugh.

"You think you can kill me here? You aren't even in control of your own body, dearie. How about I take a stroll through the mortal world for a bit and visit one of those nice clinics. You know, the ones for abortions? I've heard they have plenty of those in the world now, since my last visit. You've thought about it yourself. Poor Annabeth doesn't think she's ready to be a mom, let alone Percy be a dad. Think about it, what's two babies in the scheme of things? You can always make more when you're older. When you're ready. The pills not working isn't your fault."

Annabeth felt her own grip loosen. Did she really want to have _two_ babies? How could she handle that? How could _either_ of them handle that? Didn't Percy even admit that he thought a demigod pregnant was dangerous? What would he think of her if she told him she had twins? She couldn't put him through that kinda danger, especially since all he ever wanted was a normal life.

Annabeth put her hands to her head. She didn't really think those things, did she? No. She didn't. The mania was messing with her. It _had_ to be. The choice to abort them wasn't only her's to make, was it? Didn't Percy get a say in it? Specially if one of her reasons was _him._

Annabeth felt bile in her throat (no idea how that works but she went with it) and grabbed the greasy black hair of the daemon.

"Listen here, you _bitch_. You can't even do anything. You said it yourself. We're knocked out by my 'little friends'. You have no leverage. This isn't even your mind. _It's mine._ Welcome to hell, asshole." Annabeth didn't know when it came to her but it had. If this was her mind, then _she_ could do whatever she liked in it. So she did. She conjured up a celestial bronze dagger and held it to the being's throat. Annabeth glanced at it and to her surprise it looked just like her old dagger that Luke had given her. She swallowed a little but moved her face back to Medora with a grin. A crazy grin, Annabeth couldn't deny, but a grin nonetheless.

"It won't work," Medora said sharply, but Annabeth heard the undertone. Under all the crazy confidence she heard fear.

"I have a theory, Medora." Annabeth said moving the knife a little harder under the ugly pale jaw. "My theory is that this will kill you, expel you from my body, and dispense your miserable spirit to Tartarus, where it rightfully belongs. Does that sound like a reasonable hypothesis? Or am I crazy?"

Medora gulped under the knife, trying her best not to touch it.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Annabeth moved her knife swiftly across the monster's throat. She heard a glorious burning, a soft _poof_ of smoke, and a thud as she fell to the ground on her knees.

She blinked and looked up to a white ceiling, a chain hanging from it that looked like a chandelier. Gasping, she sat up, looking around to figure out where she was.

~~~!~~~

Percy POV

Percy was at his wit's end. Piper had talked to Annabeth, the _real_ Annabeth. Her eyes had remained closed and she sounded as if she was in a trance, but it was _her_. She had been so confused and stricken. Percy had heard the despair in her words as she had said that they had never left Tartarus. He had wanted so bad to scream that it wasn't true, that it was all a trick, but Frank had held him back so Piper could get through to Annabeth. He had sobbed that he should have never left her, and then suddenly she remained unresponsive for the next few hours. Percy stayed by the couch the entire time, despite the fact he was supposed to tell Chiron about the attack. Jason, upon seeing Percy in such a state, left and made the call for him.

During this time, Piper tried to reach Hazel. Unfortunately, she remained quiet the entire time, too deep in her memories to listen to Piper.

Frank remained by Hazel, just as Percy remained next to Annabeth. Both boys were essentially useless in doing anything else but staying by their sides. Both even rejected food, despite the many hours they had gone without. Piper left them alone, saying she would try to figure out who 'Lady Lyssa' would be. A few hours after the talk with Annabeth, Percy looked over at Frank, to see that he was crying.

Percy realized the big guy hadn't cried the entire time. He had stayed strong, knowing it was important. Percy felt himself melt a little as he looked at Frank. The guy had really grown into a fine man since his quest with Hazel and Percy, oh so many years ago. Well. Four at least, but he had grown nonetheless.

Frank glanced sideways at Percy and saw him looking at the Canadian's tears and hastily brushed them off his cheeks.

"Sorry," He muttered. "I shouldn't be crying. She'll be fine. It's not like she has Tartarus to go through, but-"

"It's not like her life has been smooth sailing, either." Percy said quietly. "The girl grew up in 1940's New Orleans as a colored girl. That's not the least bit easy, from what I remember from history class. I get it. I do."

Frank took a deep breath as he looked at Hazel's golden hair in a halo around the pillow he had placed under her head. "I can't help but worry about her."

"I keep wishing it had been me," Percy said miserable. "I would gladly replay my greatest hits so Annabeth wouldn't have to."

"Are you kidding, Percy?" Frank said wide-eyed. "You've gone through way more than any of us!"

"I've never died." Percy said. "Or had my family die. I've probably gone through less than all of you combined. I still have my mom. I even have Paul and my sister. Jason's mom _abandoned_ him. You had to hear from a whole other country that _your_ mom died. Annabeth lived on the run for years with Thalia and Luke, Leo spent his _whole life_ on the run, too. Piper's the worst off. She couldn't even let spill her dad or she would be bullied, and then she was straight up bullied for being Native American. What I've been through is nothing. I always had my mom's support when I had nothing else."

"That's a load of crap and you know it." Frank said fiercely. "None of us have had to live in abusive households. Don't deny it, we all know about it. None of us have ever had the pressure of the whole children-of-prophecy bits. You've been counted for _two_ of them. None of us had seen someone die, right in front of us, as young as you did. You saw Beckendorf _blow up_ while you could do nothing. The gods have toyed with all of us, but not nearly as much as they used you. Don't tell me that you've been through less."

"That's why I need Annabeth," Percy said in a whisper. "Whenever one of us wakes up from a nightmare, we hold each other. The days when I feel like gazing off unfocused, she is there to bring me back. Sometimes I don't remember I'm in class and think I'm still in a fight. She just comforts me in a way I could never realize. I understand that you are worried for Hazel. You need her as much as I need Annabeth."

His glanced at Frank again and saw that he had resumed his crying. Percy wanted to join him, but over the last few hours his body had stopped producing tears.

 _Cry_ , he had begged his eyes.

 _No,_ his eyes responded.

 _Why not,_ he had asked.

 _You keep wasting it,_ his eyes responded.

Eventually he had accepted it and remained in numb concentration. Percy looked at Frank with a warm smile, telling him with his eyes that he gave no judgments.

He heard a quiet gasp in front of him, and Percy moved his eyes to Annabeth. She sat up in surprise and looked around like a maniac.

"Wha?" She said confused, looking at Hazel and Frank and then Percy. Percy looked into her eyes and saw that they were the usual stormy gray. Percy shouted out, and hugged Annabeth with a brute force. He leaned back and kissed her with all the passion he could muster. His hands found her face and her arms and her hair, reassuring himself that she was okay and that she was awake. Frank looked awestruck at the two and left quickly to get Jason and Piper.

The couple broke their kiss, breathing heavy.

"What's going on? Where am I?" Annabeth said, confused.

"What do you remember?" Percy asked quietly, trying not to keep his hopes up. If the mania had left her, who knows if it had left her with her sanity? For all Percy knew she could be completely crazy. He tried not to think that way and instead focused on the fact that her eyes were gorgeous and gray again.

Annabeth grabbed her head and blinked a couple times. "Well I ran to the apartment and I got sucked in by the smoke and then... I was in the apartment with you, only it was an illusion. Then we were in Tartarus and we were sixteen. I.." Her breath became more ragged as she continued talking.

"That's when Piper talked to me and I came to my senses and I saw her."

"Her?" Percy asked.

"Medora, the mania." Annabeth said. "She, uh... She was trying to make me go insane but I fought her instead."

Annabeth looked a little green around her cheeks. Percy noted that she was hiding something. Something that the mania had done or said, perhaps? Whatever it was, it looked like it scared Annabeth. A lot.

"Are you...okay?" Percy asked. He was unsure how to phrase what he was really asking. Okay wasn't really the question. No one would be okay after reliving Tartarus. Insane was the _real_ question. Was Annabeth completely insane?

She breathed for a moment and looked him in the eyes. "I will be, in a little bit... Just...Hold me."

Percy nodded, climbed up on the couch beside her and held her to his chest. He nuzzled her hair and put his hands around the small of her back as she laid her head against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist in a strong grip, holding on to make sure he was real or to make sure he wouldn't move, Percy wasn't sure. She looked up at him for a moment and looked like she made some sort of decision.

"Percy I-I have to say-" Annabeth started, but was quickly cut off by Piper running up to the two of them with a shriek.

"Annabeth! Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Piper. I'll tell you guys with some detail, but I'm really dehydrated. Could you get me some water?" Piper nodded and left as Jason and Frank walked forward, Frank kneeling in front of Hazel.

Annabeth only then noticed the other girl on the couch opposite her. She gasped and looked from Hazel to Percy.

"What happened? Did Hazel get taken too?" Annabeth asked.

Percy nodded his head sadly, holding onto Annabeth a little tighter. "Right after you. Me and Frank knocked you guys out together. You- you kinda started attacking us after being possessed."

Annabeth's eyes grew wide as she looked down at Percy's torso. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"You're the one who got knocked out, Wise Girl." Percy said with a grunt. "Besides, you're way out of practice."

Annabeth smacked him on the chest with the palm of her hand. Piper came back with a glass of water and handed it to Annabeth. She sat up in Percy''s lap, his arms never leaving her waist. She began telling them a revised version of what happened, leaving out everything about the babies.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ Damn. I really didn't mean to write so much. It kinda just flew from me like a fountain. Going to take break from this story for a minute to work on the other ones I have, but don't get mad! I'm intent on continuing this one! The next one will have Annabeth confessing she's pregnant to an oblivious Percy! Again, thank you sooooo much for all the love and support! Don't forget to fav and review! Love ~Cryellow


	12. Chapter 12: Wait, What?

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ Sorry I haven't been updating, I have been suuuuper busy. I got a free moment this weekend, so both my stories have a new chapter, in case you haven't read _Change of Plans_ , yet. I was unsure where I wanted to go with the rest of this story- I have quite a few plans with it- but for now I'll focus on recovery and discovery. So without any other comment, besides I love you all and keep up with the feedback, I give you Chapter 12!

~~~!~~~

Chapter 12: Wait, What?

Percy's POV

Percy was holding Annabeth like the world depended on it. He knew he shouldn't be so rude, since Hazel wasn't awake and Frank was looking at both of them wistfully, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want it all to end up being a dream and then he'd wake up still holding Annabeth's unconscious form. If Annabeth minded, she didn't voice her protest. Instead she talked about what happened, and what went on in her head. Percy listened raptly, trying to see what happened from her point of view.

"I noticed the chaos when I left the doctor's. There were people everywhere...There were people harming each other and running around frantic. It was horrible...When I saw-when I saw that the _things_ , I didn't even know what they were, when I saw they were coming for the apartment, I thought you were inside," Annabeth said, her head turning to look at Percy sadly from her spot on his lap. "I thought they were going to get you and I panicked..."

With firm lips, Percy held her a little closer and harder. Annabeth was sitting on Percy, while Frank, Piper, and Jason sat around them, hearing Annabeth's tale. They were all quiet and fearful, all of them listening intently.

Annabeth's shoulders eased a little as she felt Percy hold her closer. She turned her head back to the other three. "I blacked out. There's this space of time that I just don't remember, but when I did come to, I imagined it was just a regular morning. I thought it was just a usual day- getting ready for college and eating breakfast- but then I was thrown into my memories of Tartarus."

Her breath quavered and her body shook slightly. Percy doubted that Annabeth knew she was doing it. Percy put his head on her right shoulder, hoping the contact would ease her mind a little and reassure her that she was here with them. He was right.

"It was like anything after Tartarus hadn't happened for me. I imagined we were still _there_. I could feel it and smell it and it terrified me..." With a deep gulp Annabeth continued. "Then I heard your voices, _your_ voices. I was confused and then it all disappeared. I met this- woman. But it wasn't. She was a maniae, a spirit of madness. They corrupt people's minds, make them see things that aren't real. It's a form of deception as well as chaos. They're common in mental hospitals, but I'd never seen one myself. She said her name was Medora and she said...horrible things. Things only _I_ would know."

"Where is she?" Percy asked with tense shoulders. He was prepared to fight if he needed to, and this monster sounded like one he'd right with relish, like Arachne.

"Dead," Annabeth said stiffly. Percy saw her hands fiddling where they rested in her lap. What had the beast said that would make Annabeth so shaken? Why was she so nervous? "I-I took back control of my own mind. It's the only way to fight those things. They prefer to prey on the weak, the people who have given up hope for a better future, but I'm not like that. I fought her- conjured up a dagger in my mind, the whole deal- and she poofed into smoke. I-I can't be sure, since I've never faced one before, but I think they return to Tartarus, back to their mother."

"Who is their mother?" Jason said seriously, his hands clasped in front of him like a tent.

"Nyx," Annabeth replied with a shaky breath. Percy felt his gut drop like he had swallowed a stone. He remembered the woman with the whip of stars and the children in a swarm, hoping to be 'mother's favorite monster'. He also remembered the terror of trying to escape, and taunting the mother goddess by saying she wasn't in a 'brochure'. Some days it was easy to laugh about, others not so much. Like now.

"So Hazel can fight it too, right?" Frank said hopefully, looking at Annabeth. She nodded her blonde head, looking at Frank.

"Once she realizes she isn't in control of her own body, she should be able to fight it."

"But,-" Frank said hesitantly, looking at the unconscious Hazel. "We tried the charmspeak and it didn't work."

Annabeth hesitated herself and looked between Hazel, Frank and Piper, trying to figure out what it all meant, Percy guessed. He sure didn't have a clue. By all accounts, Percy had expected Hazel to wake up with Annabeth, only she hadn't responded to the charmspeak like Annabeth had.

Annabeth gave a wince after a bit, and clutched her head. Right. She'd been knocked out. Twice.

"We can talk more about this later," Percy said with a firm tone. He picked up Annabeth a little and got out from under her. "For now, we need to let Annabeth sleep and feed her some ambrosia."

"I'm fine, really." Annabeth said at a try for toughness. She smiled a bit too wide and winced in pain as her head gave a throb that Percy could feel. He lifted his eyebrows up as a 'you really want to fight me on this?'. With obvious resentment, she shook her head.

"Now that she's awake, you can use the guest bedroom if you'd like," Piper said, standing up and motioning to a hallway in their house. "I didn't want to put her there in the first place in case anything happened, so we could all be prepared."

"Thanks," Percy said, lifting Annabeth up bridal style. Annabeth grunted in protest.

"I'm sure I can walk," She muttered.

"Well I'm not," he replied, walking his way to the small room. It was like a small corner of Jason and Piper's living room, however it was cozy. It had one twin sized bed and a small white dresser to the side of it. The light above them was low cast and it reminded Percy of the sun before it set. The walls were a soft red and the bed sheets matched. Percy set Annabeth down, getting a good look at her. Her hair was dirty and tangled from the rough time she's had and her eyes were stormy as they looked at him. Her clothes were a little torn from where she had fought Percy but other than the dirt, she looked in pretty good condition.

"I'll leave you two to talk, okay? We have food in the fridge, so I'll whip something up." Piper said from the doorway.

"Thank you, Piper." Annabeth said a little weak. It looked like her fight with Medora was a lot rougher than she let on to the others. Piper smiled and left, her bathrobe swaying a little behind her. Percy turned his eyes back onto Annabeth and he sat on the floor beside her, like he had done on the couch. Annabeth moved her head to him, a nervous energy radiating from her. Why was she being like this toward him, had he done something?

"I told you to run," Annabeth said a little sad, but also grateful. Percy put on a begrudging smile.

"You know me, Percy Jackson, follower of rules. Always listening when people tell me things in grave danger." His sarcasm was evident and he was trying to make her smile. To his joy, he succeeded. It was only for a second, though, before her face fell back again into a haunted state.

She didn't say anything, obviously stuck in her own head.

"Hey," Percy said softly, caressing her hair behind her ear. She moved her hand to cup his and intertwined their fingers. Percy's heart gave a soft squeeze as he caught sight of the engagement ring on her finger. "What's up? What happened? There was a lot you left out- I know you, Annabeth. Talk to me."

With a sigh, she moved her head to look at him in the eyes, her gray ones looking deep into his green ones.

"Have you been in contact with New Rome?" Annabeth said, not answering his questions. He shook his head.

"We've all had a little bit of a one track mind. You and Hazel were most important. Jason talked to Chiron, but neither of them know what it all means. We're at a stand still here, Annabeth."

Annabeth shook her head. She obviously didn't know either, but didn't want to voice it. She _hated_ not knowing things. Percy had that experience first hand. Her eyes moved to his a little more hesitantly.

"Whatever it is- it's going to be dangerous." Percy wanted to say that every day that either of them were alive was dangerous, but decided it wouldn't help morale.

"We've faced worse," Percy said with a half smirk. He searched her eyes for any insight to what she was feeling and he saw one thing- fear. Annabeth looked genuinely afraid, about what, Percy didn't know, but he did know what fear looked like on Annabeth. It was not one of his favorite sights. Regardless of her feelings, Percy had a question in the back of his mind that he needed answered. He looked down to his own pants and grabbed the container of vitamins he had stolen from her pocket.

"Annabeth, what are these? Why do you have them?" His eyebrows went up with concern, fearing the worst. Was she in danger? Was it serious? Annabeth let out a swift breath and bit her lip. She obviously wanted to tell him, but seemed that his reaction might be unwanted. Was it that bad?

"I'm pregnant," Annabeth said softly. Percy blinked his eyes in confusion.

"Did you eat too much? Because even I feel a little bloated after all that lasagna we had-"

"With _babies_ , Seaweed Brain!" It took a moment for him to process. His eyes moved to Annabeth, Annabeth who looked scared and worried about how the information would affect him. Annabeth who was _pregnant_ , with his _baby._ His mouth dropped open of it's own accord as he stared at her.

"You're...You're..." He got out, his eyes blinking. Annabeth's face got slowly a little paler, obviously not expecting this reaction.

"Pregnant," She said again softly, her face falling. For a moment they both stayed silent. The next, Percy was shouting with glee and grabbing her face in his hands. He kissed her deep and long, coming up for air laughing and happy.

"Annabeth that's _wonderful!_ " He kissed her again, her hair in between his fingers. He moved his arms and face to the heavens, his hands in fists to the air. "I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!"

"P-Percy! Not so loud!" Annabeth said hastily, her face red with his reaction.

"Why not?! That's the best thing I've heard in _days_ ," Percy said belatedly, looking back down at her. He loved Annabeth with all his heart, and he knew he would love their child the same, if not more. Being a father was what he had always wanted. It was something normal, and mundane. Something that meant you had to stay out of fights and you couldn't say no to, but he didn't love it just for that. It was _Annabeth_ , and there was no one else he'd rather be with. No one he'd rather have carrying his child.

"You really think so?" Annabeth said uncertain, her eyes a mask of doubt. Percy's face fell, his mood dampening a little at her nervous look.

" _Gods yes_ ," he said firmly, kissing her again. "I love you _so much."_

Percy felt her lips curl into a smile beneath him. He had surprised her, apparently. That thought made Percy a little curious and hurt. Did she really think he would be upset with her for being pregnant?

"Why were you so nervous?" Percy said, lifting his head to look at her. "Did you really think I'd be mad? Me?"

Annabeth bit her lip under his sturdy gaze. "Well it wasn't like we planned it, and we're both still in college. I mean, we don't even have stable careers, why would you want children? Might I also mention the fact that I was just possessed by a monster, and the camp attacked, right after this discovery. Not really a confidence booster."

"None of that matters," Percy said, kissing her jaw. He started working his way downward, down past her collarbone.

"I. Love. You. So. Much. I. Am. So. Happy." he said between kisses. He ended up right on her stomach, a smile spreading on his lips as he looked at her through dark lashes. He lifted up her shirt and kissed right on the spot where his child would be. "I can't wait until you're so round that you can barely stand. You are so beautiful, Annabeth."

Her cheeks got dark red and her mouth hung open a little bit. With a slow grin Percy saw her warming to the idea. "Every five minutes, 'Percy can you get me some water?'."

"'Yes, hunny,'" Percy said with a mock sigh. Annabeth bit her lip again, concentrating.

"I won't be able to see my feet for months," She said with a wistful sigh. "We're going to need a bigger place. We're doubling our household, here."

"Doubling?" Percy said with his eyebrows up. Annabeth gulped, her mouth hanging open a little.

"When Medora took me over- she said some things..."

"Horrible things, yeah you said. What kind of things?" Percy said quietly.

"She told me I'm carrying twins, but she also played on my doubt- she-she gave me ideas I would have never had..." Annabeth said begrudgingly. Percy knew he was pushing her, but she needed to confide in him. She needed someone to talk to.

"Like?"

"Like abortion," Annabeth said in a whisper. She sounded guilty for having those thoughts, but Percy didn't hold it against her.

"You were surprised. You said it yourself, it's a shock. We're still young. It doesn't mean you really want that," Percy said quietly and confidently. He was _not_ about to let Annabeth near one of those places, but he knew she needed reassurance. She needed his compassion. "What else did she say?"

"She said she was going to make me watch while she murdered you with my hands. She said she'd jump over a cliff just to see you heartbroken." A sob escaped Annabeth and Percy stood up and laid down next to her, cuddling her close to him. Her eyes were full of fear at the very thought. "She said she'd possess the babies before their born. She-she would have killed them, they would have been stillborn."

"She's gone," Percy said calmly, soothing the daughter of Athena. "She can't do those things."

Percy held her quietly for a while, while she cried. It was a lot for his Wise Girl, he knew that, but she had survived. That was the important thing.

"So, babies," Percy said softly. "Twins."

"Yeah," Annabeth replied quietly.

"Have you thought about what you're hoping for?"

"Honestly? No," She said bluntly. Percy felt the corner of his mouth turn upwards. "What about you?"

"Me? Well, let's see. Two girls would be _way_ too much of you in there. I'd never win _anything_." Percy saw and heard her beautiful laugh and continued on. "I think two boys would be one _Hades_ of a handful, because I know for a _fact_ they'd end up restless like me. I'd have to say a boy and a girl, just because I think it'd be a healthy mix."

"Wise choice," Annabeth said with a head nod.

"Says the Wise Girl herself, so that must mean something."

Annabeth laughed again, her eyes closing a little in her tiredness.

"You should get some rest," Percy said. He went to go and leave her to her sleep, trying not to distract her but she grabbed his hand.

"No wait," She said. "Don't go. I-I won't be able to sleep tonight if you aren't here."

"Aw, but I wanted to rub it in Jason's face that I'll have children before him." Percy put on his best pout, trying to keep the conversation in a lighter tone.

Annabeth shook her head determined and pulled him flush against her. "It's the only way I'll get any sleep."

Percy gave a fake sigh and held onto Annabeth closely with comfort. He'd be there for her if she needed him. Like they always did, they would find comfort in each other.

They both fell asleep holding each other and thinking about the future

~~~!~~~

The next day, around 8 am or so, Percy woke up to the sound of worried voices. He got out of bed and walked down the hall to see what all the chaos was about. He stopped right outside the hall, the voices coming from the right of the living room, near the kitchen.

"There's been no word from anyone else at Camp Jupiter or New Rome. It's completely silent, I was just going to visit it." Percy heard a dark Italian voice. He recognized it as Nico's, but was confused as to why the son of Hades would drop by here of all places and not straight to New Rome itself.

"You can't," The other voice was Jason's. He sounded tired. Tired, worried, and fearful. "From what Frank and Percy told us, the minute you step in there it would be a bloodbath."

"Why? Because I'm a son of Hades? What happened, are they against Greeks again?"

"Because there is evil that overtook New Rome _and_ Camp Jupiter. _Everyone_ is fighting each other. It's like the eidolons, only worse. Annabeth and Hazel attacked Percy and Frank." Jason's voice was serious and firm. It was clear in his tone. _Don't go near there. You'll only add to the masses_. "They barely made it out. They didn't get near any of the- what did they call it- black smoke, so they weren't affected, but they ran like hell. I have a feeling if it was anyone other than those two it would have been hard."

"Did they see Reyna?" Nico's voice sounded anxious. Reyna was his bestfriend after the war. He wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her. With stones in his throat Percy silently pleaded for Jason not to tell Nico. A wave of guilt threatened to overcome Percy. Another one of Nico's loved ones that Percy couldn't help. That he couldn't save. Percy made a silent vow that if any of them survived this mess, he would stay as far away from Nico and his loved ones as possible.

Percy heard Jason hesitate but continue anyway. "They didn't see her. It was too much of a mess. It's not like there were priorities, they were just focused on getting out of there."

"Is Hazel okay? She's not hurt, is she?" Nico's concerned voice cut through the air.

"She's unconscious but she's fine. We got Annabeth awake, but Hazel- she isn't quite there yet." Percy heard Nico sigh relieved at the comment. They were bothe silent for a moment before Nico spoke again.

"Why would they run, Jason? Percy was trying to save Annabeth, sure, but Frank? He had a duty to the legion. You know this as well as I."

Jason didn't grunt of laugh, his silence sounded genuinely curious to the answer. Percy took a deep breath and knew the next few moments were crucial. Would he stand by and let them put disarray into each other's minds, or would he show himself and defend Frank? The problem was, Percy wasn't even sure why Nico was there, let alone why he'd be starting useless drama. They got enough of that from the monsters, thank you very much.

With his hands crossed over his chest, Percy walked out from the shadows of the hall and walked toward the kitchen. His face was contorted into an angry scowl at the very thought that Frank, _Frank_ , of all people would be accused of being the enemy. He stepped into the kitchen and saw a dark clothed Nico leaning on the counters and a pajama clad Jason (Superman pajamas curtisy of Percy a few years back during Christmas) who was drinking a cup of coffee.

"'Sup?" Jason said in greeting, nodding his head at Percy. He saw the scowl on Percy's face and got a confused look. "Something the matter, cous'?"

Nico's head moved over to Percy with a neutral smile. It seemed neither man had expected to be heard from the other five people in the house at the moment. Instead of a comment, Percy strode over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. His shoulders were tense and he could feel their eyes on him. Why should they trust him, either? He had the legion training like Frank did, the only difference is that he was Greek.

"I was just telling Nico about New Rome," Jason said to Percy's back. "He was on his way up there. We have to figure out a plan."

"How about we have that discussion with the others." Percy suggested stiffly. If they thought Frank was a monster would they attack him...?

"Good plan," Jason said. "When everyone's awake I'll make pancakes and we can have a war council."

Percy turned around to face the two boys, his body preparing for a fight for Frank if it came to it. He was still wearing his jeans from last night, so Riptide was still secure in his pocket. With a determined look he met their eyes, a silent challenge to hurt Frank and they'd be dead. Both men looked a little confused at this, but Jason knew that look. He _had_ to know that look. It was one that Lupa taught her pups. It was the protective glare against predators of the pack. None of them said anything, but stayed away from each other until the meeting came.

 ** _Author's Note:_** Hey I know it was super long, but it was eventful and full of fluff and drama and I couldn't help myself. I haven't posted to this story in a _long_ time so I wanted to give you guys a lot of content. I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Don't forget to fav and review and **_give me feedback_**. Can't stress enough. Check out my other works! Love you guys! ~Cryellow


	13. Chapter 13: Quarrel or Squirrel?

_**Between Two Wars**_

 ** _Note to all_** : I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

 _ **Summary**_ : Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

 _ **Author's note**_ : HEY GUYS! It might take me a little bit, but I am determined to continue this story the best I can! I have a few ideas for new stories but ultimately I am going to continue this story till the end that I have pictured. It might end up wayyyy longer than I originally thought it would be, but details are important for any story! If you read the Seventieth Hunger Games, you know that I've been having laptop problems. My cat peed on my laptop in my sleep and I am very angry about it. That being said, I am trying to write as much as possible that way when I do have any computer time, I can use it to type some more. Okay, I think that's enough for now, and Chapter 13 here we go!

~~~!~~~

Chapter 13: Quarrel or Squirrel? Who knows

Annabeth's POV

Annabeth was sitting on the couch next to Percy, the son of the sea god lost in thought. They had all gathered in Jason and Piper's living room with cups of coffee and messy hair. Apparently Nico had showed up this morning, only Annabeth couldn't quite fathom what had brought him to meet Jason at his house instead of going to New Rome.

None of tat was really on Annabeth's mind, however, because Percy had been happy at her news. He had jumped for _joy_ for shit's sake. Annabeth was very mad at herself for being worried, seeing as it turned out far better than she had anticipated. He was happy, and that's all that really mattered to Annabeth. With a blink Annabeth looked around the room.

Piper was sitting in a white armchair, her hair a mess and her bedclothes rumpled. She was nursing a cup of coffee in both of her hands and the steam was rising up her face. Frank was on the floor next to Hazel, every bit the worried boyfriend. Jason was in a white armchair adjacent to Piper's in normal clothes and a determined look. Nico was sitting in a dining chair, pulled from Piper and Jason's dining room. The air seemed heated to Annabeth, and with a look she saw that Percy was glaring at Jason and Nico accusingly.

"We have to decide what our next step is," Jason said, running his fingers though his hair in a frustrated manner.

"If we go back to New Rome, we're goners." Frank said. His eyes had deep sunken pits under them and he looked like he could use a good shower and a burger.

"I don't think so," Nico commented plainly. "I think we have to save the ones that we can."

"How about Camp Half-Blood, then?" Piper suggested, obviously feeling a little tension also. "I think if we got Chiron and some of the campers over there involved then we can easily fight the maniae."

"Getting reinforcements will only get them in on the fight," Percy said seriously. "You don't know what happened over there, it was _bad_. They'll just join in on the chaos. You weren't there."

"You're right, we weren't." Jason said sternly. "But we have to try and solve the problem before-"

"Before what? Frank and I attack you?" Percy said angrily. Annabeth looked between them shocked at the comment. With a voice like a razor blade, Annabeth got right to the point.

"What's going on? Explain, _now_."

It seemed like her words had charmspeak because Percy didn't hesitate. Annabeth guessed that comes with being a girlfriend. Ordering your boyfriend around and them answering without question.

"Jason and Nico seem to think that Frank is the enemy because he saved Hazel." Percy said defiantly, glaring at the two other boys.

Frank's eyebrows went all the way up and his eyes blinked with confusion. Piper seemed equally confused at this statement.

"Wait, they suspect _Frank_? Are you serious? Why?!" Piper said demandingly. She looked between her fiancè and Nico.

Neither Jason nor Nico denied the statement, but shifted a little in their seats, Nico's hands now crossed tightly in front of himself. "Frank assisted Percy in escaping with the two girls instead of staying, as his duty to the legion. We don't suspect Percy, since saving Annabeth will always be his priority over anything, but Frank had Roman training. He was a Roman _praetor_. He knows that you have to support the legion in anyway possible during a crisis."

Jason's words settled over them all like a sheet of dust. Percy looked especially offended by what Jason said.

"I was also a praetor, if you remember, Jason. I stood up for New Rome and Camp many times. Saving Annabeth is a priority, yes but-"

"Don't even lie, Percy. We get it, we do. You had to save her and get her to safety. You don't know a lot of people in New Rome. You've always been one of those people to save the one you love over the world. Frank isn't like that though- he usually understands what's best for the group." Nico said, shaking his head.

"If you suspect Frank, you suspect me too." Percy said stubbornly. Annabeth felt like her head was going to explode. Was this really happening, in light of all that is going on? They were fighting over petty drama at a time like this? But Annabeth saw where they were coming from. It's reasonable by their descriptions of the chaos to assume that these monsters don't need to show any signs. Hell, they had eiodolons on the quest of Seven after all, so why shouldn't there be something like that when a whole city is torn to pieces?

"As the one being accused, I'm not sure what I can say to change your mind." Frank said slowly. He raised his hands, knowing that two of the Big Three kids were probably thinking on how best to take him down. Technically speaking, Frank was Jason's nephew, but Annabeth tried her best not to make her headache turn into a migraine.

"Look-" Piper said angrily, crossing her legs and putting her coffee down. "You really want to know why he left?"

She turned toward Frank with a determined look and Annabeth heard her charmspeak strong and deep through her voice.

"Why did you help Hazel and not the legion?"

"I wasn't sure what to do," Frank said instantly, his back a little straight. "She started attacking me and I knew I had to knock her out. When Percy assisted me I knew it was important for us to get them to safety, however the streets, buildings, and stores were all covered in screaming and fighting people. I would have liked to leave Hazel with Percy and fight, but I knew that Percy wouldn't be able to take on both girls if they became conscious again. Not because he is incapable- because of his emotional connection to them. I understood that the legion needed help outside of it's ranks, and everyone was too busy fighting to notice. I reasoned with myself that getting New Rome aid would suffice as help and then Percy and I left for the borders."

"See? He _did_ do it for the legion! By getting them help, it will be better than just giving up his life." Piper said. "Even if it isn't the 'Roman way', he's smart enough to know that the monsters need to be stopped. Now can we continue the meeting, or are we going to be fighting like cats and dogs all day?"

"Continue the meeting," the other five demigod's voices rang out, Piper's charmspeak too strong to fight.

"Oops, sorry." Piper said nervously. The other five shook their heads, getting out of he trance. Annabeth was the first to recover.

"I understand the need for safety precautions, but the priority is getting people safe. Right now we have hundreds of people within New Rome and Camp Jupiter that have probably already suffered serious injuries, or worse, death. Getting reinforcements from Camp Half Blood may be our only option at the moment. We can strategize with Chiron once we get within the borders, but until then it's important that we not worry about drama like this. Does anyone have a way that we can get to the east coast in a few hours or less?"

Everyone looked deep in thought at the question, Piper biting her lip. Annabeth's thoughts strayed from the conversation like usual, thinking into the future. If they can get to Camp Half Blood and get reinforcements, who is to say that other monsters or foes might attack them or the camp? What would happen to the kids that are too young to be fighting such monsters? How can they possibly organize an assault on so many people that could be possessed like Annabeth was? Wouldn't that be hurting the people inside? With a jolt Annabeth came to realization that that is _exactly_ what the maniae want to do. They want to use their own people- fellow demigods and residents of New Rome- and use them against each other. Will any of them be able to fight their friends, lovers, allies within Camp Jupiter and New Rome? The answer is simple- no. No one could make that choice without being completely heartless and knowing no one. It was a huge paradox of a situation.

"Well, I could always borrow my dad's jet," Piper said after a while. "Usually when Jason and I travel we use it, but with this many people and Hazel unconscious I'm not so sure..."

Piper's eyes moved over to Hazel's sleeping form, her worry for the daughter of Pluto evident on her face.

"The jet takes a few hours, but it should get us there in a reasonable amount of time," commented Jason with a determined sigh. Percy nodded his head, looking a little calmer now that Frank wasn't a suspect. _Uh oh_ , Annabeth thought. _This should be fun. Percy **hates** flying._

"Do you think maybe I could-" Percy started to say, but was cut off by a groan from the couch. Annabeth turned to look at Frank, expecting him to have made the noise. To her surprise, she saw Frank's back, and Hazel slowly waking up.

She sat up, holding her head with her left hand and groaning. "Wha' happened?"

She was then crushed by Frank, as he hugged the life out of her. With surprise, she looked down on him with her gold eyes and blinked in confusion. She looked around after a moment, noting that all her friends were looking at her shocked. Frank pulled away from her for a moment, looked her deep in the eyes, and then kissed her as if the world depended on it. Annabeth saw tear stains on Hazel's shirt and knew that Frank had probably burst into tears. Hazel's face lit up with a blush, since PDA was never her cup of tea, but kissed him back nonetheless. Annabeth felt her face go up in a smile, relief making her shoulder sag as she saw the two in the tight embrace. When Frank finally broke free, he was holding her head in his hands and looking into her eyes.

"What do you remember?" He asked her, his voice sounding a little thick. Annabeth guessed that the rest of the room didn't exist to him, and she couldn't blame him. Hazel blinked her eyes again, her eyebrows finally coming down.

"Well I remember we went on one of our walks, but then nothing. I don't remember anything. What happened?" She repeated, looking from Frank to the rest of the room. It seems everyone was equally relieved that Hazel was awake, Nico a little more than everyone else. He had swiftly moved from his chair to stand by where she was on the couch, making sure she was okay. Annabeth wondered why Hazel couldn't remember anything that the maniae did to her, but guessed everyone had a different reaction to being possessed.

"You-you don't remember anything?" Frank asked her. She shook her head at him.

"Not a thing. Why, did something important happen? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"You were possessed," Nico said quietly. "You've been knocked out for four days. We weren't sure if you would wake up or not. It was dependant on if you fought the mania."

"Mania?" Hazel asked. She looked down at Frank once more, her face falling a little. "Did-did I hurt you?"

" _No_ ," Frank said firmly. "I'm fine. We had to knock you out twice, though. How are you feeling?"

"Beat up, if I'm honest." Hazel said. "But I've felt worse. Where are we?"

"My house," Piper replied. At seeing Hazel awake she had went and got the girl a glass of water and some crackers. She placed them next to the dark-skinned girl and looked at her sternly. Hazel took it with a grateful smile and Frank backed up a bit, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"Wait, why aren't we home?" Hazel said after a moment. Annabeth bit her lip at the word 'home'. It pained her to be so far from the place when all she wanted to do was curl up on her's and Percy's plush white couch with a book and fall asleep to the smell of Sally Jackson's famous cookies in the oven. Annabeth felt her stomach growl despite herself and resisted the urge to go and bake. You shouldn't bake during a crisis. Rule one of _anything_. Percy gave her a knowing look and Annabeth tried to look anywhere but at him.

"Monsters overran Camp and New Rome. We had to escape when we could," Frank said quietly. For a moment that sunk in with everyone in the room. _Monsters_ overran one of the only safe places for demigods. How cruel was that?

"How did they find it?" Hazel said surprised. "Camp is uncharted territory...it should be impossible for anyone without godly blood to enter at all."

"We don't know," Percy replied determined. "We don't know how, or why, but we know that for now we have to go to Camp Half-Blood. You think you can get the jet ready in a few, Piper? Reunions are all good, but we need to get a counter attack as soon as possible. Hazel can sleep on the plane and Frank can fill her in the best he can."

Piper nodded at the order and finished her coffee in a few gulps. "I think we can have it flying within thirty minutes."

At those words, everyone jumped into action. Frank and Hazel remained on the couch while Piper went to Jason's and her bedroom. Jason followed her in while Nico went to the kitchen to 'make a call'. Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand gently and guided her to the guest bedroom where they had slept last night. When they entered Percy sat them both down on the bed and looked her in the eyes, none of his usual humor in his sea-green depths. He swallowed and Ananbeth prepared herself for what he was about to say.

"I think you should go and stay with my mother."

"Percy, are you seriously asking me to sit this out while I watch you go and fight?" Annabeth said, one eye brow up, her arms crossing in front of her chest.

"I'm asking you to stay safe, away from the things that possessed you once already."

"Are you calling me an invalid?" Annabeth said in disbelief.

"No, and I would never say that because you aren't, but this isn't about you. I wouldn't be okay with watching you sword fight knowing what's going on. It's _dangerous_." Percy said, his hands moving with his words. Annabeth knew he was probably only saying this because he cared about her's and the babies safety, but Annabeth was a stubborn and persistent woman.

"Percy, they took our home from us. They took our _friends_. I can't just watch from the sidelines with your mom and know that you're out there and I can't do anything."

"And I can't watch you get hurt, and that's generally how these things go down, Annabeth. Someone always gets hurt."

"And you decide that it gets to be you?"

"Yes, because I'd rather myself than the three of you." Percy said sternly. "If I get hurt, the only one it harms is me."

"That's not true. It would hurt _me."_ Annabeth said, her eyes tearing up. She almost _never_ cried during an argument. Usually she was the angry type, but despite that her tears were building against her will. _Great_ , she thought. _Hormones. The horror._ "I can't raise two kids on my own, Percy. I can't. I don't want to. I'm going with you."

"No, you aren't," Percy said seriously, standing with his back straight facing her.

"What are you going to do to stop me, Percy? Are you going to hold me captive?"

"If that's what it takes," Percy replied defiantly. "But I don't think it needs to come to that."

"Percy I want to _help_. Besides, won't I attract monsters at your mother's place? You said it yourself, a pregnant demigod is a monster magnet."

"My mother and Paul can handle it, don't you worry. They dealt with raising me for so long, I'm pretty sure they can handle this. My mom will be _thrilled_."

"I'm sure she will be, but I won't! You can't leave me so you can fight in this war, Percy! You promised me we would never be apart again, don't you dare break that promise." Annabeth said, her hands in fists at her sides. Her face was wet with tears and she was trying her best to look stoic to no avail. Percy took a big gulp at the sight of her, his strong facade caving a little at her look.

"Annabeth, they need my help. I-I'm the _go to_ guy for this stuff. I was _right there_ as it all happened. They're going to need that, and me. Your strategy aside Annabeth, I know you. You'll run out to battle the first chance you get. I won't let you get near Camp Half-Blood."

"Fight me then," Annabeth said angrily. "Go on, stab me in the chest. Smack me across the floor like some housewife from the 40's, but I won't leave your side so that I can wait- so I can _pray_ that you come back from a fight while I can do nothing. I'd rather all three of us die right here, because that emotional stress would kill the babies anyway. You ever heard of a broken heart, Seaweed Brain? It's been proven _true_ , and it kills people _all the time_. If you tie me up in ropes and leave me to your mother's house my heart will break. I _will_ die. So you have some options; kill me now, let me come with you, or come back home after the war to find your fiancèe and babies dead."

Percy's eyes were wide, angry, and- was that scared? He looked like he was going to throw up. His soft pink lips that Annabeth loved to kiss were open wide in a shocked 'O'. His throat was making weird movements like he was trying to swallow something or choke, Annabeth didn't know. After a stunned silence Percy's soft voice hit Annabeth's ears.

"I'm not a fan of options people give me. Never have been. How about my own- how about I go with you? How about we _both_ stay at my mother's house until things are clear? I-I'm not usually one to- to back down from a fight, but I can't lose you Annabeth. Frank should be able to tell the events well enough and- I'm pretty sure they'll be okay without me. We can work strategy and research from home and we can Iris-message if they really need help."

A sob escaped Annabeth's lips and she jumped onto Percy, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sh," Percy whispered in her ear. "It'll be okay, I promise."

She felt his arms cup her back and cradle her. Annabeth was sure she felt a few of his own tears fall on the back of her shirt but didn't make any comment.

After some kissing and some deep breathes, both calmed down from the argument. After a moment Annabeth laughed, sitting on his lap on the bed.

"What?" Percy said confused.

"You thought you'd be able to tie me up," Annabeth said, her shoulders shaking with humor.

"Well, you were being so stubborn I couldn't think of what to say. I don't _honestly_ think I could have done it, but the point is still there."

Annabeth laughed for a moment and calmed down once more. With a sobering breath she looked Percy in his sea green eyes. "We're going to have to tell them, you know."

"I know."

"I don't think they'll blame us for it," Annabeth said quietly.

"I don't think so either, and that's what scares me. I know they'll be totally fine with it. I just can't help remembering what Nico said- about how I'd save the people I love over the world. I've heard that so many times in my short life I can't even count it anymore."

"It's always worked out okay for us before," Annabeth said. "We usually end up doing both, anyway."

"Yeah."

"I guess we finally have to draw that line in the sand."

"I love you Annabeth."

"I love you too, Percy."

 _ **Author's note**_ : NOT THE END I PROMISE. SO MUCH MORE DRAMA TO WRITE. I just like sweet _chapter_ endings and more fluff makes the world go 'round. So it's been a _long_ time since I have updated but I promise I'll get it all situated when I can. I also have school and other stuff but- hey ya' know? 'Gotta manage your time somehow. I hope you all enjoyed it, anyway. Next chapter is Camp madness and stuff like that. Not quite sure but I'll come up with something. **_Don't forget to fav, review, and check out my other stories._** ~Cryellow


	14. Chapter 14: The Cold Truth

Between Two Wars

Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

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Author's Note: I have excuses. :( I'm sorry if you hate me. I've been in a writer's slump for quite some time, not to mention high school, my broken laptop, and the fact that I'm reading like 3 different books a week. Trying to update has been on my list of priorities, though. For all my stories. Even the ones I haven't even put up, yet. There's a long list, trust me. I have pleeeeenty of ideas and AU's that I've just got stored in my phone, brain, and laptop. Once I get myself a little more together, I will definitely have a chapter of everything for you all. To those who have reviewed this story and other ones- bless you. The constant feedback leaves me with tears and honestly I've never felt so loved by people before. From the beginning I have wanted to write stories and even though that's not my preferred occupation, it's up there on the things-to-do-before-I-die kind of bucket list (I have quite a few bucket lists).

I seriously have a lot to do before I even finish this story, since I have a long drawn out idea of what I wanted but I think I'm going to try to sort out the story and not make it as long as a Riordan book :/

For now, welcome back (or just welcome if you're new here) to the world of Between Two Wars!

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Chapter 14: The Cold Truth

Percy POV

Percy really didn't know what he was going to do. Pending fatherhood is a big deal. Like, a big deal, but to have it happen during a crisis? Not even remotely a good idea. Course', it obviously wasn't on purpose, but he was elated regardless. And the real cake topper and show stopper? He had to take his pregnant fiancée with him, on a jet, across the country. In simpler words, Percy wasn't having a very fun time away from New Rome.

He was holding Annabeth's hand (rather tightly) and sitting in the middle of the jet. Frank and Hazel were across from them, with Nico beside Hazel, looking her up and down, still surprised that she was properly awake. She seemed to share the sentiment, seeing as she kept looking at her skin and Frank's face as he told her the story the best he could. Jason and Piper were closer to the front of the plane, Piper talking to the pilot about their destination and Jason- dear lord- Jason was in the copilot seat. Apparently, Jason had learned to properly fly a plane.

"Zeus-" Percy said, as the jet started up and rose in the air. Piper went back into the main cabin and sat beside Annabeth, looking worryingly at Percy. "Man, please don't kill us now. We've been through too much- don't kill us now of all things."

"Oh stop that," Annabeth said, hitting his arm with a frown. "You'll be fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Percy took a deep breath after the statement, but calmed himself down under Annabeth's gaze. "Alright, alright."

"The pilot said it should take around five hours. Take a nap or something," Piper said, trying to help. Percy raised an eyebrow at her. Did she really think that he would be able to sleep like this? The last time he tried, it didn't end so well.

After a few minutes, Percy looked over at Jason's back in the copilot seat and furrowed his brows. "When did Jason learn to fly a plane?"

Jason chuckled, turning his golden head back at Percy with a smile.

"About a year ago. I mean, I can fly with no problem on my own, but I thought that learning to fly a plane would be a useful hobby. Turns out it has. Sometimes I can make easy cash by flying tourists around California. It really is gorgeous in the air."

"Whatever you say, Superman." Percy said, his teeth gritted as the plane hit some turbulence.

"Is Leo going to meet us at Camp Half-Blood?" Annabeth asked, running her fingers through Percy's hair in an effort to calm him, "Or are we picking him up?"

"He's already there," Jason replied back, "He was in the middle of talking to Chiron when I Iris-ed him earlier."

"Did you see Will?" Nico asked, his forehead glistening with sweat. Right, thought Percy. He's from the Underworld. He hates flying as much as I do.

Jason shook his head in answer, his scarred lips turned down in a frown. "No, but we'll be there soon, so don't worry."

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After about four and a half hours from their departure, Percy was uncomfortably comfortable. Annabeth had drawn her feet in his lap and he was rubbing them softly as she looked out the window. He bit his lip for a moment, thinking about all the drama that's happened and all that will happen. They'd have to tell the others soon, before they got off the plane, that was a certainty.

Annabeth turned her blonde head and faced him, her sparkling grey eyes shimmering with all their hidden secrets and knowledge.

"We have to tell them," She murmured. Her hands fidgeted in her lap.

"We do." Percy replied simply.

"Should you or should I?" Annabeth asked, her voice still low. Percy looked at her up and down for a moment and then came to a decision.

"I will."

"You aren't going to try anything dumb, are you?" Annabeth said, giving him a knowing glance. She knew him- he'd definitely go back on his word if it meant he could save her, even if it meant loosing a bit of her trust. She's right, after all. He would gladly have fought in this war and won it for her and their children if it meant something, but Percy sadly understood that it did not. His heroic stupidity would help no one. It would probably only leave two children fatherless.

"Me? Try anything dumb?" Percy asked, acting hurt. He grinned at her exasperated expression. "I'm going to tell them what we talked about."

"Good. Then do it, since we'll probably be landing soon."

Percy nodded and faced the rest of the plane. Hazel was asleep on Frank, who was reading a book. Nico was gritting his teeth, his knuckles white on the chair. Piper, meanwhile, was bent over a map of New Rome, her brown hair falling on the map a little as she concentrated. Jason was still flying the plane, his back easy and his posture comfortable.

"Hey guys," Percy started a little loud, trying to get everyone's attention. It seemed to work, since everyone faced him and Hazel woke up, yawning all the while. Jason got into the cabin, sitting next to Piper as they both looked at him.

"What's up, Perce?" Frank said with a nod, noticing how serious Annabeth and Percy looked.

"We," He began, looking at Annabeth and then back to the others, "aren't going to camp with you guys."

"Okay," Jason said slowly, "is there a reason?"

"Annabeth is pregnant." Percy said shortly. "I'd rather she not be in this war if I can help it."

The reaction was priceless- it was a complicated mix of happiness and distraught faces. Everyone looked at Percy deep in the eyes. He could see that they were happy for him, but this wasn't an announcement party on a casual Thursday dinner. This was the start of a war. Hazel was the only one without a reaction, really, getting a weird look in her eyes and a crane in her neck. Percy thought she was probably still dazed from her nap, and would react better when she was fully awake.

"I am taking her to my mom's house and I'm going with her."

Percy winced, ready for a bombardment of questions or dramatic "No!"s. He was right earlier. They all nodded their head in understanding, some biting their lips, biting their nails, or thinking hard.

"We're still going to help," Annabeth said, "but most of our contact will be Iris-messages."

"But wouldn't Camp Half-Blood be the safest place for you guys?" Frank said, his hands motioning with his speech. "Being at your mom's house puts you in danger. The camp has borders and fellow half-bloods."

"If this war goes down anything similar to the Giant war, then no, it won't be." Percy said, shaking his head. "At least at my mom's house, no monsters or baddies will come looking for us or come attack us in a full scale riot. And besides, who is to say what happened to New Rome won't happen to Camp Half-Blood? If that comes to Camp Half-Blood, then it's best that we stay away from it. We've been through enough wars, guys. We all have. I just want this one thing- I can't let the gods take everything."

"Okay," Jason said nodding. "But it might be best if you tell us details. Anything you remember from that night while you are still here."

Frank and Hazel shifted in their seats, coming closer to Percy and Annabeth. All of the demigods were in a circle, watching and waiting for the first person to speak. After a few moments, Annabeth took a deep breath and began her recollection.

"I was coming home from the doctor when I heard chaos. Everyone was screaming, running-" Annabeth said, grabbing her head in concentration. She bit her lip as her grey eyes stared off in space. Percy reached over and put a soothing hand on her knee. He knew she needed the reassurance that she was still here. "There were kids killing adults- I saw a woman murder two kids-!"

She looked like she was struggling for the right words, and Percy couldn't blame her.

Shortly after all the chaos, she got knocked out. She might have a concussion. Percy winced as he remembered seeing Frank knock her out and made a mental note to give her some ambrosia a little bit later.

"What else? Anything odd that you saw?" Piper said the statement with a quiet voice, trying not to cause a bad reaction but urging her on.

"Other than people screaming in the streets?" Annabeth said. She was opening her mouth- about to say a witty comment probably- but hesitated. She began again, this time a little slower, the effort to piece together the events clearly shown on her face. "Actually, yeah. I know the maniae are a factor- they were a big part of the swirling black mass, but there were other reactions to the smoke than just violence. I saw a man burst into sunlight. I saw a woman, who was around thirty, she turned into an old woman and died of old age."

Percy could tell it on Annabeth's face. Her cheeks were low and her eyes grew dimmer. She knew exactly who attacked New Rome, and apparently it wasn't good.

"Tell us," Percy said quietly. "You know."

"It's-it's impossible. If it's true- oh gods." Annabeth shook her head, terrified. It was unlike her, but obviously she had a good reason for it.

"I remember hearing a lot of yelling, but I don't remember that much," Frank said, rubbing his neck, flabbergasted. "Mostly I was just trying to keep up with Hazel and then I found Percy."

"I saw a man getting slapped around and then smacked- he was trying to fight something invisible- but every time he tried to-… hit it...he got slashed...up..." Percy cut himself off, and realized what it was they faced. He hadn't seen her since Tartarus, and unfortunately, it was not anything good. It was possibly the worst situation for him to be in, especially since he promised Annabeth to keep away from this war. They were fighting her children. Every one of them. Oh gods, Percy thought, his mouthing getting drier by the minute. His face went slack and any hope he had died in a minute. They can't dupe this enemy. They already tried it.

Percy turned to Annabeth, his eyes shocked with his realization.

"Her children-how could they- the gods, how could they allow it?"

Annabeth shook her head, obviously not knowing a lot either.

"Care to share with the class?" Jason asked, his blue eyes bright. Percy jumped slightly, his thoughts had been wandering away from the conversation and where he was. His shoulders tensed as he remembered he was in a plane, but tried to remain calm despite the obvious fact that they were all going to be obliterated.

"We know who it is." Annabeth said. "But if we're correct, this isn't something we can win."

"Shoot," Piper said reassuringly. Her charmspeak showed through her voice a little, and Percy felt it wash over him.

"Nyx," He said bluntly. The others looked at him in confusion, but Nico's face turned paler than usual and his face looked gaunt. "Nyx's children attacked New Rome."

"Oh come on, you can't be serious, here. Lady-," Hazel cut herself off and took a breath. She turned her head up a smile like 'silly me' and then resumed her statement. "I mean, the goddess of night, wouldn't attack New Rome on a whim. What's her purpose?"

Everyone looked at Hazel a little strange, but Percy was the one to speak.

"Well, I mean, Annabeth and I really did make a mess of things for her. If we hadn't fooled her and gone through her palace then we wouldn't even be here right now. We wouldn't have been able to defeat Gaia or the giants if it wasn't for that. And you should have seen her kids, they were all eager and willing to listen to whatever she said. 'Mother knows best' kind of complex, but it was also how powerful she was."

Percy felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of Nyx. Yes, it would be a very bad idea if they wanted to fight her. They wouldn't even know where to begin.

After a few minutes to let it sink in, the entire group started talking all at once, bouncing theories off each other and trying to make battle plans in the middle of the air. It was difficult to calm everyone down, but at one of Jason's hands in the air, they all did.

"We can continue this conversation with Chiron." He said the statement with a frown, the scar on his lip showing white as he bent it. "If what you say is true then we must talk to the gods. They can't repeat what happened last time- it would be bad for everyone. We have to communicate with them and try to get as much help as possible. If this is the case, we are going to need a lot of support, probably the help of demigods outside of the US. But for now, while we are still in the air, let's try not to be too rash. Percy, Annabeth, are you leaving from the plane to your mother's house, or would you like to come with us to camp?"

Jason addressed the question to the couple and Percy bit his lip. "It's better if we leave from the plane. Gods" He said, putting hand on his head. "This is more than anything we've ever faced, man. Nyx's kids are powerful. You're going to need me-"

"No. We won't." Frank interjected. "We'll be fine. We all have each other. I'd like to be your kid's godfather, so you bet your sweet ass you aren't coming with us. You and Annabeth need to stay away. Seriously, if it is Nyx, she'll want to attack you personally."

Percy smiled at Frank, his heart a little heavy with the words.

"Hey wait!" Jason cut in. "Who says you get to be godfather? What about me?"

"Or Grover," Annabeth casually cut in with a smile. "Guess you'll have to duke it out."

"Great," Jason muttered. "Like one tune from the Lord of the Wild and we're all trees. He'll win by default."

Then suddenly the whole cabin was laughing, and no one could stop. It was a long time before anyone said anything, but Hazel approached Annabeth after a while.

"Hey Annabeth?" She said with a smile. Percy glanced around. Frank continued reading his book while Jason was in the co-pilot's seat and Piper was occupied with the map. No one paid any mind to it, but Percy stayed focused on Hazel all the same. Her looked forced, almost like it pained her to smile at Annabeth at all. Annabeth grew tense beside Percy, and for the life of him he didn't know why. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Uh, sure." She said, getting her feet out of Percy's lap. Percy saw in her face that she was uneasy and it didn't bode well with him.

Hazel stepped back and Annabeth got up. The blonde walked to the back of the plane, a little ways away from the others, Hazel in tow. After they took a few steps, Percy did an old hand gesture- the three finger warding off evil sign, one he hadn't done in a long time- and pointed it towards the girls. There was a flinch and a quiet hiss from Hazel, one that only he noticed. She tilted her head slightly, like her neck ached. Percy felt his eyes grow wide, but realized that Annabeth now was in a compromising position. If he tried to attack Hazel, it would look like he was crazy and Hazel could attack Annabeth.

With one swift motion, Hazel pulled a curtain behind her, effectively separating her and Annabeth from the rest of the crew.

Author's Note: Goodness that took a long time. I have been sooooo swamped. Anyway, now we know who our main antagonist is! I am really excited for the next chapter, since we get some Leo Valdez(tm) so that should be fun. I'm sorry for the way I have Nico written- I feel like he should have more in the story, but I can't fit him in anywhere that I think would be appropriate. Don't forget to fav, review, follow, and give feedback! I will try to have the next chapter sooner than 2 months! Bye!~Cryellow


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